A Place to call Home
by ShivaVixen
Summary: Set in Red Witch Misfit verse: Everyone's looking for a place to belong, whether its good bad or neutral, they fit that niche. Time to find your own place, that isn't dictated to you by anyone but your own beating heart.
1. Let's get it started

**Well, welcome to my story! I thought I should post it now as opposed to after I get everything finished, due to writers block. Don't own the Misfits, or Xmen characters, or G.I. Joe either. Now:**

**Let's get it Started**

_The potential for mutants as weapons is great. One with the right powers can destroy an army. However, you must make a team that will cover all bases, or you risk that one turning on you. I have made a team of twelve, working on four of them myself. DNA is a tinker toy for me to play with, and already one proves to be more powerful than I could imagine. My rival is only taking a set of five and not all are mutants. What does he know?_

_I have just received word that two of my mutants have escaped, the fools! What do you have to do to get good help around here? I'm not worried though, they'll come back to me, afterall, I am their master, and like all good pets, they'll come back when their master calls . . . _**Transmission ended.**

The man ignored the cold as he stood staring at what had once been the front for the Hellfire club. He found it annoying that no sooner had he tracked down one of the mutants he needed some help from, that circumstances tore that mutant away. He absently pulled the black hat down further over his hazel eyes, sandy blonde hair reaching just above his shoulders. The gold mustache twitched as he smiled, picking up a piece of a red crystal. Well, at least he had a confirmation that the mutant he wanted was no longer in New York, or anywhere else in the state. He turned and began to walk away, pulling the black trenchcoat closer to him in an effort to ward off the cold. His search would continue, but not before he checked out the mutant group of the X men. And returned a favor to the lovely Ms. Frost, really, people shouldn't mess with powers that were greater than them. He smiled as a raven landed on his shoulder.

"Hello there. Coming for the adventure?" The bird nodded, an uncharacteristic move by any real bird. "You're always welcome Trickster." Man and bird rounded the corner, and the young woman who had seen them blinked, wondering why she was staring at an alley, there had been nothing there anyway.

"Alright everyone, settle down- Scarlet Witch, please stop hexing Quicksilver." Hawk sighed. Since the addition of the misfits, the ridiculous once a month general meetings were a bit more chaotic. "Alright, first up, whoever stole Sgt. Snuffles, please just give him back to Beach Head, he's having a nervous breakdown in my closet and I really want him out of there!

"Next, we have a new addition to G.I. Joe- Mutt's adopted daughter Terri." Mutt held Terri, A little two or three yearold with black dog ears, and whippy black tail, who had a red cast on her leg and was happily chewing on Leatherneck's hat. Junkyard lay next to Mutt's chair, obediently staying next to his master. Mutt glared at Quick Kick who was laughing.

"Whoever locked Airtight in his lab yesterday, please return the key, we need it to make a new lock since Airtight used acid to get out." Hawk stared at the clipboard, was it just him, or were things multiplying every month? "This next set of announcements goes to the misfits- You're going to have to cut down a bit on your destruction, especially when you visit the X-men! The lawyers are starting to come to us, which is a surprise since I thought they would of figured out the earthquakes and water damage went to us long before this! Also Shipwreck, back off of Storm for a bit, she's threatening to get a restraining order. I'm surprised she hasn't already gotten one, but then again, Xavier's lawyers are pretty busy. Also, Quicksilver, stop sneaking requisition orders for whip cream, I do not think you need 2,000 tons of it.

"Next up- A certain female lingerie item has been found in the pool. I don't know who it belongs to or why, nor do I want to know! Just claim it from laundry." Hawk ignored some of the women snickering, he turned his attention back to his clipboard. "Tonight is movie night- however, it's going to be whatever movies you made since a certain ninja used the dvds as throwing stars."

"He had it coming!" Jinx called out.

"I just asked if you wanted to watch a movie." Falcon nursed a cut cheek.

"Lastly- And this ties into everything else on this base: We're due for a sexual harassment seminar. It's regulations, and we've gotten out of it for the past decade only because the orders have been misfiled. Which means we're going to act normal for about three hours." Hawk sighed. "We make it that long, I'll be surprised.

"Alright, last thing and it goes back to the Misfits! Low Light stay away from the generators if you're in energy form, we're out of electricity in the gym. Also, Trinity, please, stop experimenting in places where the backfire will cause a lot of damage, we can build a new shed or hanger if you need it, but the costs of fixing the damage is getting a little too high."

"Not our fault! We told Quicksilver not to push the red button!"

"Yeah, it even had 'Do not push' written on it!"

"Yowch!" Scarlet Witch hexed her brother into another wall, while Wetsuit and Leatherneck went at it. Lady Jaye and Scarlet were going at it, which then turned into the two wailing on Duke and Flint for trying to interfere.

" . . . Hawk, we've got the location of another cobra base in the U.S." Mainframe slipped up. Ignoring the chaos, he handed the sheet of paper over. "Same informant, calls himself Databank."

"Databank, huh?"

"Firewall's done some research, she says he generally sells information to the highest bidder, and it's difficult to get to the auction site unless invited. But he's been giving us freebies for a few months now."

"Why would he?"

"Don't know, Firewall managed to have a brief IM sort of chat with him . . . all he said was he didn't like Cobra. Firewall couldn't hack into his system, neither could Daemon or Arcade."

"Has he hacked into our systems?"

"Not that we know of." Mainframe hesitated. "But it's possible, once Databank has sold information, he deletes it, or encrypts it so no one can find it."

"Where's the base?" Hawk glanced over the sheet.

"Small town called Arboc. Which happens to be Cobra backwards." Mainframe and Hawk ducked a chair.

"Let's talk in my office. It's safer."

**And we're off to the races! This is set roughly after the events of Evolution XMJ partially because one of the characters needed the time difference, and a certain Misfit had to be with G.I. Joe. I have a definite outline, but this story is going to do most of the work. See ya around!**


	2. Twists of Fate

**Don't own Xmen evolution, G.I. Joe, and the Misfits are credited to Red Witch. (Think that covers it)**

**Twists of Fate**

"All right Mainframe,what's the deal?" Hawk sat down in his chair after checking it for being rigged. Too many times sitting down to encounter superglue, whoopee cushions and paint bombs.

"This is the fourth lab in the U.S. Databank's found, Hawk." Mainframe sat down in front of the desk. "Each time he hints that there's more than one more left. Not to mention Deep six and Torpedo found a couple of destroyed cobra bases just off the coast- Iceberg's reported a destroyed base in Alaska."

"Maybe Cobra's trying to keep things hidden?" Hawk glanced at the two reports Mainframe mentioned.

"They've never destroyed a base of their own. We've done that for them dozen of times. Why start now?"

"They wouldn't waste the explosives, That's for sure." Hawk looked at the closet, there was a thumping noise coming from it. "You want to check out the town?"

"If I can get close to a computer to hack yes." The thumping noise got louder.

"Beach Head!" Hawk got up and opened the door. Beach Head was sitting down, knees close to his chest, and rocking so his head hit the wall. "Mainframe, I'll get a team to check it out, if you'll get Lifeline and Psyche Out to come get Beach Head."

"Want Snuffles!" Beach Head started crying.

"Maybe you should send him on vacation again?"

"Sounds good to me." Hawk sighed. "Some days I wonder why I signed up to command this unit."

Somewhere in the Rockies:

"You sure you know where you're going, Zarana?" Zarana flicked a strand of red hair that got into her eyes to glance at the girl behind her. Despite the snow, the girl was wearing a gold midriff revealing tank top as well as a short black jacket, and ripped black jeans.

"Yes, are you sure you're not cold, Panthera?"

"Yes. I was enchanced to survive extreme temperatures." Panthera, blinked gold eyes and absently toyed with a blond streak in her hair. Zarana had taken her to get her hair done, partially because her hair still had mats from when she had been a prisoner of cobra. Panthera had attempted to cut them out her self, but only succeeded in making her hair look worse. Now it was layered and shoulder length, with blonde streaks in the dark brown hair accenting her eyes. Zarana had to give a half smile as the girl passed under a tree branch that broke, dumping snow on her. "Besides, Techno needs my coat more than I do." She glared at the tree. "Who's this guy anyways?"

"He's a fellow mercenary, but he's never taken a job for cobra or any of their associates. He'll be able to help us, if anyone can." Zarana continued up the slope. "He officially retired a few years ago, but he might help us out."

Panthera absently nodded. She _was_ cold, but she wasn't going to admit that to anyone. Her attention was more on any footsteps not hers or Zarana's.

"Whens Nomi coming back?" Jess curled up against Zandar in the van.

"Dunno, it'll take awhile for those two to find him." Zandar shifted as Rick pressed against a bruise that wasn't healing. "And it's Nai-oh-me, not No-me."

"That's what I said." Jess insisted, then glanced over at a pile of blankets. "Marina?"

"Yes?" The blankets responded.

"Aren't you stuffy?"

"No. This planet is cold! You humans and mutants are insane to live here!" The blankets shifted.

"This coming from the alien who can swim in frigid water," Long Range had given his trenchcoat to Rick, and was sharing a couple blankets with Techno. "Techno has it worse than you."

"At least when you get cold, half your body doesn't try to go into emergency shutdown." Techno's voice- a mix that sounded like a human speaking over an audio track of the same words- came from a bundle right next to him.

"It's not that bad." Zandar sighed.

"Says the guy in a red fur coat- you don't even need a jacket!" The ninth outcast spoke up from where he was bundled up. "Panthera is insane I tell you, insane! Going without a coat . . ."

"Very funny, Crash." Panthera opened the door to the passenger side. "We've got a new, more permanent place to stay. Which means we can stop cohabitating in the van with Four boxes of comic books."

"I wasn't going to leave Batman, the Justice League, or the Teen Titans behind!" Marina spoke up.

"What's the fourth box?"

"Japanese comic books called Manga, the drawings are interesting." Zarana started up the van and soon they were at a large cabin.

"Alright, let's get you to your rooms, you'll met him later, he's gone out to get firewood." Zarana parked the car in the garage.

Crash!! Crash missed the door by a country mile, and ended up walking into a bunch of rakes.

"_Crash_ . . ."

"Sorry, I thought I had the right door!" Long Range grabbed his friend and pulled him into the mud room.

"What are we going to do with you?"

"I vote blindfold him again, until he gets the hang of the new surroundings."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

The man in black walked up the stairs of the private home. He shook his head as he passed a group of teens. "Really, Ms. Frost, you need better mental shields on those children of yours." He entered a room that contained an unconscious Emma Frost, and three teens. "A gentleman's work is never done." Gently he touched her temple. For a moment, the scene was frozen, then Emma's eyes blinked open. "Good morning. I believe that settles my debt?"

"Mindflare?" Emma sat up. "What are you doing- you're a toxic telepath!"

"I've been able to train to the point where I only give people headaches, Ms. Frost." He smiled. "With some of your suggestions. What were you thinking, trying to control the Phoenix? Greater men than you have tried, It's why the crystal was in a volcano to begin with."

"Mindflare . . . You have no right to lecture me. I believe you yourself were looking for a powerful artifact."

"Artifacts, and they aren't for me." Mindflare sat next to her bed. "In my travels I've come across many stories of a destiny stone. Some have it linked to the Phoenix, others have it as a separate entity."

"So, you're searching for the stone." Emma accused.

"Hardly, I'm looking for the protectors of the stone. Powerful warriors that help keep the weilder of the stone from losing it." Mindflare stroked his mustache. "I'm also looking into artifacts that were used to protect the oracle of the Phoenix and the M'Kraan crystal- I was hoping to borrow a prodigy of yours called Cypher, and that White Prince of yours." He gestured to a sleeping Evan.

"You can have Cypher, but Evan will stay with me- How'd you know he was the White Prince?" Emma frowned.

"Really, you have to ask? And that's fine, only really needed the Cypher anyway." Mindflare smiled. "Still say no to marrying me?" He got up.

"You've earned a couple points to a 'yes', if you must know."

"Even more of a reason to check in on you, my dear." He kissed her hand with a bow. "Good bye, my lady." Then he was out the door. Emma waited till she knew he was gone, then turned to wake up Catseye.

* * *

"ELF!!" Kurt looked over his shoulder at Logan, partially curious as to what the Canadian was angry about.

"Ja?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, clean the drain when you're done with the shower!"

"But herr Logan, I did!" Kurt jumped to the ceiling. "Promise!"

"There isn't anyone else-" Logan trailed off. "BEAST!!" Kurt returned to reading Dracula, attempting to ignore the insanity around him for a little bit. He had a report due to the Professor by the end of the week, misfits, Magneto, Cobra and all else permitting he'd get it done.

"AGGGHH! THERE ARE SQUIRREL HEADS ON MY BED!!!" Kitty's voice rang out.

"Jamie, get back here and die like a man!" Bobby raced passed the door chasing ten Jamies. Tabitha and Amara were chasing after Bobby, both obviously ticked off.

"Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!"

"Shut up Sunburn!!" Ray and Roberto went at it.

"DIE, SWAMP RAT, DIE!!"

"Cherie, it was an accident- not de plunger!" So were Rogue and Gambit, although gambit was probably on his knees begging for forgiveness, so it was clearly one sided.

"HANK!!" Logan still hadn't found Hank.

"LOCKHEED! MY CAR!!" Lockheed had now ticked off Scott. Kurt sighed.

"Who am I kidding?" He teleported to the med bay, where Jean was doing inventory. "Ah, Hello, Jean, Is it alright if I read in here?"

"Sure. Is it crazy up there?" He gave her a look. "Forget I asked. Have the misfits shown up yet?"

"No, but the day is still young." Kurt hopped onto one of the med bay beds to read. "You know, the story doesn't do the real guy justice, Dracula was nice and had one wife, but here it has him with three and hunting for two more."

"According to him, Brom Stroker was in a competition for scariest story, and he allowed his name to be used. Besides, no one thinks a fictional character really exists so it works for him." Jean shrugged.

"How do you know?"

"Storm and Cindy keep in touch, mostly to make sure Dracula stays away."

"Ah, Okay."

**Okay, more Misfits next chapter, and more Outcasts. Poor Beach Head, having a mental breakdown, but I couldn't resist! As for more on the comments on Dracula, check out Red Witch's Date With A Vampire, I'd recommend you click on Title to find it, then it should be #172. Red Witch has a bunch of stories and it'll take awhile otherwise.**


	3. More plot exposition and insanity

**More plot exposition and insanity**

"Alright, meet Quickstrike." Zarana introduced a man with dreads and sunglasses. "He's a former mercenary, specialized in hard to reach places like mountains."

"Hello." Quickstrike nodded to the teens. He had a thick Jamaican accent. "It'll be a while before we can leave de cabin, Zarana told me about de lab. Defore, you're welcome to stay until de other arrangements are made."

"How'd you get your hair like that?" Jess completely bypassed being shy and hiding behind Zandar, her curiosity of the man in front of her, coupled with the fact that neither Zarana nor Panthera were acting like he was a threat, made her bold. As Quickstrike explained to her what dreads were, Naomi (Panthera) moved to look out a window.

"You alright with this?" Long Range moved after her.

"It's hidden and defensible. It'll be fine."

"That's not what I meant." Long Range sighed. "With him joining the team." He gestured back at Quickstrike.

"He's alright." She leaned against the wall. "He smells alright, and he really does hate Cobra."

"Alright." He wasn't going to get anything more out of her. "Are we good guys or bad guys?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, we fight an evil terrorist organization, but we still hire out to do things not entirely legal."

" . . . I have no idea." She looked at him. "Morals and ethics isn't my strongest suit."

"It isn't mine either- Jess!" He turned to look at the little girl who looked like she was spacing out. She blinked, and then continued to talk to Quickstrike as if nothing had happened.

"What was that?"

"I have no clue. She's never done that before." Zandar sat down. "But then again, I don't know what her power is."

"They forced it to activate early, didn't they?"

"She was born with it active, from what I understand."

"Great, something else to figure out." She sighed, and then glanced at the clock. "I've got to head to a job meeting."

"Be careful."

MMMMMMMMMMMMM

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what are you three doing this time, and why is Pietro tied up?" Althea looked at her younger sisters, and the bunch of machinery hooked up to a struggling Pietro.

"Well-" Daria was about to explain when Althea put her hands up.

"Change that, I don't want to know, but he'd better be able to do the obstacle course tonight." Althea closed the door as Pietro started shouting through his gag.

"You're still mad at him aren't you?" Lance looked at her.

"He stole my perfume."

"Was Spyder helping them?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Spirit wants to take both of us somewhere for family bonding."

"Didn't we do enough bonding during that vacation?"

"Well, Lina and Fred are out on a date, Low Light and Covergirl have disappeared, but don't ask me to where, Roadblock and Toad are taste testing some new kind of chocolate covered bug, Arcade and Shooter are playing video games . . . Wanda's with Psyche Out and then I think Bree is taking her shopping . . . am I missing anyone- You shut up!" Althea blinked before realizing he was talking to his imaginary coyote. "Sorry, Shipwreck's with Beak and Lil' C. Oh, and Angelica is watching 27 Dresses if you want to join her."

"What was he saying?"

"Nothing major." Lance shrugged.

"Nothing major, I'm telling you something important here! Or do you want someone to die!" Althea was already gone to find Angelica.

"What are you talking about, who's going to die?"

"No one if you listen to me! I'm only giving you one hint since you were so rude, you're not the only one who's in a cross company relationship!"

"What?!" Lance blinked. Coyote was already gone. "That's no help." Lance sighed.

MTMTMTMTMTMT

"Ah, a good day's work." Mindflare stretched out on his hotel bed. "Here to join me Trickster?"

"Do you propose to every strange woman you meet?" The raven landed, and shape shifted to look and sound like Emma Frost. Revealing outfit et al.

"Still not going to show the real version of yourself?"

"No. And it's only five in the afternoon." Trickster stretched out in Emma's form. "Though I have to admit, this one proves you have taste."

"Yet you don't like white." Trickster smiled, and the color of 'Emma's' outfit went to black. "Now, what can you tell me about the X men?" Mindflare shifted so he was more comfortable.

GIJGIJGIJGIJ

"Beach Head finally cracked, huh?" Flint looked at Duke. The two were playing a game of chess before they had to do anything that might be considered paperwork. "Wonder why?"

"To be fair, I think his trying to keep sane was what did it." Duke moved his knight. "Even with Sgt. Snuffles, the guy was bound to crack. Before he locked himself in Hawk's closet I heard him shouting that he was the most underappreciated member of the team. Hawk's giving him a month to get his head straightened out."

"So who's training the greenshirts?" Flint took Duke's queen.

"Hawk's calling in Sgt. Slaughter. The Renegades are apparently also late for their physicals, and Red Dog needs to have some vaccinations . . . Lifeline has his hands full." Duke sighed. "There hasn't been much cobra or Magneto activity, Hellfire club is probably still licking its wounds . . . I'm kinda hoping I'll be sent on a mission, even if it's just recon."

"Be careful what you wish for Duke." Hawk entered the room. "I'm getting a team to check out a supposed Cobra base. Would you like to lead it?"

"Sure. When's the briefing?" Duke finally got Flint's king blocked in. "Checkmate."

And over at the Xavier's institute, things were still chaotic. The end result was Logan and Hank both being electrocuted by Storm, Tabby and Amara both beating Bobby to a pulp, and Xavier having to find a Plumber that was willing to work for mutants.

In other words, the day was perfectly normal. For the Xavier Institute, at least.

"Well, here's another boring day." Pyro pouted in the corner of his room. "Sabes is out, Magneto is busy, Winters and Solitaire are gone- No one left to play with poor St. John." His face brightened. "Except my Sheila's!" He grabbed a lighter and proceeded to make a bonfire in the middle of the Acolyte base. "It's a small world after all!" As he sang he made fiery versions of the characters from the ride.

Later, he was lucky Magneto didn't kill him. Though the reason of why 'It's a Small World' was annoying had to be explained to Solitaire.

**Had to put in Pyro near the end. Sorry if the story seems to be going a bit slow right now, I'm still fleshing out a few upcoming scenes, and who's going to be where. Kinda tricky to get it just right. Should be the last of Mindflare for a bit. As for Quickstrike, he was kinda last minute when I realized I needed another mercenary. The Quickstrike character is based off the G.I. Joe Extreme show, which I discovered on accident one day. (I was frustrated and ready to hurl my textbook out the window when I decided to websurf for a bit.) You just have to watch the first episode for an introduction of the characters.**


	4. Cold facts of life

**Don't own Xmen Evolution Character, Marvel character, G.I. Joe characters or the Misfits. If you think I do, then you're delusional.**

**Cold facts of life**

_Running, away from the danger. No other choice but to run. _

"_We've got to get the stone out of here!" Even as he gives the order, it sounds so fake. He should be fighting, not escorting a stone. But that's his job, his duty, and he'll do it. It's just the three protectors now, running through the halls. They almost reach the exit. _

_Then the betrayl. His friend kills their companion, leaving him holding the stone, that won't activate for any of the three of them._

"_Give it to me!" He fights back, still numb from the realization that his best friend has joined the enemy . . . He's not sure when he drops the stone, the last thing he's aware of is getting run through, and falling through a hidden trapdoor. Seeing the Destiny Stone glinting in the hands of a traitor. The last thought is a promise to get the stone back and avenge the fallen, then all is dark._

_The destiny stone has seen countless betrayls for its power, unmoved by what has become a common sight for it, death and destruction. But it does feel for the loyal ones that it has lost, ones that it adds to its already countless power . . . _

* * *

"Hurry up Mainframe, I don't like this." Leatherneck shifted on hs feet. The base did exist, but it was a ghost town, and so far, the only things they'd found was a bunch of decaying synthoid glop and several old computers that were still active.

"What's a matter gyrene, scared?"

"Not now you two." Duke shook his head. "Well mainframe?"

"You're not going to like this, Duke. This base was part of a mutant experimentation program. Only worked on animals, and animal like mutants."

"What else?"

"There's hints about a new project both Destro and Cobra Commander are working on. I'm downloading as much as I can. They sure didn't do a good job of disconnecting the computers from the main network when the left."

"Who says we left?" All four men turned to look at a Crimson guardsman with a squad of vipers behind him. "Save yourselves the trouble and surrender."

"No, thank you." Mainframe moved behind a computer to finish the download as his teammates started to shoot.

"98 . . . 99 . . . Done!" He disconnected. Then joined the firefight.

* * *

"Well, here we are, home away from home." Mutt sighed as he entered his families ranch. They were into dogbreeding, as well as taking in strays that no one wanted. Junkyard barked as he entered, wagging his tail.

"Mutt! You're home!" His mother came bustling in. "Who's this?"

"Mom, this is Terri." Mutt's explanation got cut off as his mother cooed over Terri.

"She's adorable!"

"Yes . . . she's also a mutant . . ."

"A mutant?" His mom blinked. Mutt unveiled Terri's ears. "Oh . . . How cute!" Mutt blinked, and then smiled. "Well, I don't know what the men on TV are talking about when they say Mutants are awful . . . this one is adorable."

"She's also your granddaughter." Mutt shifted Terri. "I adopted her."

"Well, she'll fit right in with the other children. Princess had a litter of puppies a month ago. Oh, hello Junkyard!" She gave the dog a treat. "Dinner's at seven as normal. Why don't you take little Terri on a tour. You can see the puppies . . . how long are you three staying?"

"Just a week. It'll take that long for them to fix my new rooms so Terri can stay with me." He smiled. "Where's dad?"

"Oh, getting Valiant certified for the upcoming Dog show. It's the first he's elegible for. He'll be back by dinner." Mutt nodded. "Oh, and the hands already fed the dogs, so everyone's all set for the night. You don't have to worry about a thing." She bustled off into the kitchen. Junkyard looked up at Mutt.

"Alright, Junk, you can go with her." Junkyard trotted off after her. "C'mon Terri, let's go see the puppies." He smiled as her ears perked up. As they exited, they were unaware of Mutt's mother watching.

"She's got him wrapped around her little paws doesn't she?" Junkyard wolfed an agreement. "Well, maybe he'll find a woman soon. At least I have a grandchild to spoil now." She looked down at Junkyard. "Now, would you like some steak?"

Mutt's father only raised an eyebrow when he saw Terri playing with the puppies. But he was equally accepting of the puppy/toddler.

"Why'd you name her Terri?" His father asked at the dinner table.

"At work, we give each other codenames, either by personality, job or looks. Since I'm Mutt, and Terri had the ears and tail, they decided to name her after a Terrier." Mutt smiled. "It doesn't help that she gives a high pitched bark either." As if to demonstrate, Terri did bark. Followed by junkyard who got up and went to the door. "I'll get it." He opened the door afeter moving Junkyard back. "Hello?"

"Um, hi . . . I was wondering if I could use your phone, my motorcycle died on me, and my cell isn't getting service out here." A girl in a biker's jacket and jeans stood there, absently pushing some of her hair back. "Or do you have some gas I could use . . ."

"We have a few cans in the garage." Mutt grab his jacket as he called back what he was doing. "C'mon." They walked in silence, before Mutt asked what he was thinking. "Are you running away from home?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Getting back home actually." She sort of hesitated. "Do I look like I'm running away?"

"You look pretty young to be riding a motorcycle at night."

"I'm out of highschool." There was obviously a hit nerve. Mutt looked at the motorcycle in the driveway.

"Nice bike. Yours?"

"Mom's actually. She let me borrow it." She shifted, wary.

"I'm not gonna hurt you kid. I have a daughter of my own." She glanced at him, then gave a wr smile.

"Not what I'm worried about." She glanced away. "There's a storm coming." He frowned as he passed her a gas can.

"How can you tell?"

"Other than the clouds in the sky?" She started to fill up her tank. "Just a feeling I get."

"Well, be careful. If it gets to rough, you could come spend the night here."

"No, thank you." Moments later she was gone, and Mutt frowned as he went back inside.

"Hell." Naomi quietly cursed to herself as she took off. The job had gone over fine, minimal death toll . . . so why did she feel so drained? "Probably because the guy stabbed me with a rusty spike. Did I look like a vampire?" Now she was talking to herself. Sighing, she turned on the radio in her helmet. She paid attention to the streets, noting the drop in temperature. It took her an estimated three hours to get back to the cabin. By the time she did a snowstorm was in full swing.

"You're back!" She was tackled by Jess and Rick, which knocked most of the snow off of her.

"Yes, and I'd like to get warmed up." She noticed most of the group was in the living room. "What's up?"

"Movie night! We're watching Cinderella and Snow White!" Jess moved to sit next to Zandar, who barely even flinched as she dove into her spot. Rick automatically moved to Zandar's other side.

"You going to join us, love?" Zarana held up a bowl of popcorn.

"After I dry off. Where's Alex?"

"Upstairs moping." Crash called out, the blindfold gone. Naomi raised an eyebrow as Quickstrike tapped his shoulder, clearly rebuffing Crash. "See if you can get him to join us, too." Marina was cuddling with Techno, obviously still cold.

"I'll try." She walked upstairs, and didn't even bother knocking on Alex's door as she walked in.

"I could have been changing, ou know." He looked up from where he was reading a book.

"We lived in a basement for a few months. Privacy isn't much of an issue." She moved so she could lay down on his chest, arms crossed, head on her arms. "What's wrong?"

"Techno confirmed the fact my dad sent out a contract on me." He sighed. "It's been accepted. Only thing I have going for me is that none of them know I'm Long Range, or what my other aliases are." He put the book aside and wrapped one arm around her. "What's eating you?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"You only seek out cuddling if there's something bothering you, Naomi. The rest of the time you're distant."

" . . . am I that predictable?"

"No . . . I just know you very well." He sat up so he could wrap both arms around her. "Now, spill."

"I think something's missing. Being a mercenary is all very fine, so is working for myself, but . . . sometimes I think that there's more that I'm supposed to do. For awhile having everyone around me was great . . . but now . . . I just don't know. I'm not that great emotionally, the time in the lab definetly killed most of my emotions . . . I'm sure I'm supposed to feel something, but there's nothing to feel. I can remember reading stories where the person who killed someone else goes crazy from guilt, but I don't feel guilty for killing anyone. I hear about all these emotions, and I just . . . wonder why I can't feel them like everyone else."

"But you're still seeking comfort and love."

"I've felt them before, and I'd like to feel them again." Naomi buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"You don't have to be anything other than what you are, wildcat. We all love you. And we'll all follow you. You don't have to change for us." Alex smiled. He really didn't mind it when she was affectionate, even if they didn't do anything other than snuggle. "Though it might help if you stop being such a realist."

"Mm . . . can't help it." She shifted. "You do realize this is the first time we've had any real alone time since we brought in Techno?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "What do you want to do?"

"Others are watching Cinderella and Snow White, so wake me up when they start the latter, kay?"

"Deal." He returned to his book, ignoring the part of his brain that was telling him to start something he couldn't finish. The two had a good mutual close friendship, even if they did occasionally call each other boyfriend and girlfriend in public, that was all it was going to be. That, and neither could understand the idea of sex as being fun. For him, he'd gotten it drilled into his head that female assasins used it to stab men in the back when they weren't ready for it, and he was pretty sure Naomi thought about it the same way. _Of course, if I got her to marry me, things would be a lot simpler. Bad idea Long Range, don't even go there!_ Shaking his head, he shifted so he was more comfortable, and then returned to his book.

**Sorry, this chapter refused to be written for some reason, and my 'y' key has been kinda upset with me. So if you see a 'the' somewhere in the chapter that would have made more sense as 'they' that's the reason. (Spellcheck's no good when that happens.) More misfit insanity in the next chapter, I promise. In the meantime, please note that I am trying to finish three stories, and have accidentally started a new one. I can't help it if hanging around my friends inspires plot bunnies, nor can I help having trips down memory lane to my favorite TV shows.**

**Panthera: **Breathe, and no one really cares how your mind works.

**Hey, I'm just explaining sporadic updates and why my life isn't getting any better. I've wound up creating five new outlines for stories that I'll probably never post. Speaking of which, I've got to clean up my computer . . . It's not my fictives that drive me crazy, it's the plot bunnies that develop.**

**Please, Read and Review and flames will be given to Pyro to play with.**


	5. Shot in the dark

**Disclaimer: Look at one of my earlier chapters for it. I wouldn't be on this site if I owned anyhting. **

**Shot in the Dark**

**0r 'Quicksilver never learns from pain'**

"QUICKSILVER!!!" The roar that came from misfit manor made many stop and glance in its direction. That was soon followed by Greenshirts and Joes diving for cover as an irate scarlet witch with black jeans and a red corset chased her brother, hexing him at every turn. For a moment, no one quite knew what she was mad about, until they noticed that her hair was bubblegum pink. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"Get Him!!" Right behind her, Trinity was following with an assortment of weapons. Their hair had become a neon shade of green.

"Should we interfere?" Scarlet looked at Storm Shadow, who she'd been talking to.

"I'd rather go up against Cobra Commander and a million vipers." They both hit the deck as a hex bolt shot over their heads. "Maybe I should suggest having Quicksilver wear weights 24/7?"

"YOWCH!" Short Fuse and Bazooka got hit by several flying barrels. Tunnel Rat disappeared down a hole, Big Lob right behind him.

"Anyway, would you mind sparring with me? I think my skills are getting a bit rusty." Scarlet chose to try and ignore the chaos.

"Not a problem. Still no word on Snake Eyes?" Several more blasts, and the sound of Covergirl and Shipwreck trying to calm down the irate girls.

"No. It's been a while too."

"COME BACK AND DIE LIKE A MAN!!" Falcon rushed by, followed by Jinx.

"Well, if that's started, then Dusty and Cross Country-" There was the sound of something exploding at the motor pool. "Oh, and could you do me a favor? Next time you go back to Japan, could you get me some more bolts for my crossbow? For some reason those bolts seem to hit the target more. I'll reimburse you." Something exploded in the general direction of the firing range.

"I'll try. We can make a break for Hawk's office." They nearly collided with Quick Kick.

"Get back here Quick Kick!!" Gung ho and Alpine chased after him. Sirens suddenly started balring and Lifeline, Bree, Doc and Lina raced to the helicopter pad. For a moment, activity stopped. Once the medics had taken the three casualties back to the infirmary, Chaos once again erupted.

"Shouldn't there have been five men?" Lady Jaye met the two at the door. "If we count Cross Country . . ."

" . . . We're going to get bad news, aren't we?"

"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

"What the hell happened?" Hawk could feel the migraine building. His first clue it was going to be one of those days was the fact the misfits had actually behaved for a few weeks. Or maybe the fact that he was going to have to order liquor because he was down to one bottle. Either way, he should have realized things wouldn't have continued to go smooth.

Mainframe was sitting up in the hospital bed, typing rapidly on his computer. "We let our guard down, sir. Plain and simple." He glanced over at Duke who was unconscious. Would be for a while. "Leatherneck and Wetsuit were captured. The only thing that went right was I got a bunch of top secret cobra information." Mainframe scowled as he misspelled another word. Cross Country was silent as he stared at his arm which was in a sling.

"Duke will be alright, sir." Lifeline sighed. "He'll wake up in a day or two, and be punishing himself as soon as he does." Hawk nodded.

"So it was a trap . . ."

"No." Mainframe looked up. "Sir, if you read Databank's message, he states that it was an active base. When we got there it looked like it had been abandoned. We let our guards down. End of story." He glanced back at the computer and scowled. "Encryption's gotten better." In a private room nearby, Foresight woke up with a yell.

"The X-men are in trouble! They need help!"

* * *

"Oh my god!" Covergirl covered her mouth as they teleported to the X mansion's lawn. There were little to no signs of struggle, but quite a few of the New mutants were slumped on the ground, unconscious.

"Multiple!" Trinity raced to their friend's side. He was face down on the ground. Lifeline was there in a second.

"Spread out and search! Keep in teams of two or more!"

"Cyclops found!" Avalanche and Firestar knelt next to him. There were clear bruises on his face, and on every patch of skin.

"Rogue and Gambit are over here."

"I found Iceman."

"Storm's here, looks like someone hit her with one of the flower pots."

"Angel's over here, I think his wing is broken. Beast doesn't look much better."

"Holy sh- Lifeline, I need you now!!" Low Light's call set everyone on edge.

"Nn . . ." Cyclops stirred. He like the rest of the X men, were coming to in the foyer. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Avalanche looked surprised.

"Avalanche?" There were a couple seconds of the two staring at each other, Avalanche unsure of what to say. "Nightcrawler!" Cyclops jerked, trying to get to his feet. "He's hurt!"

"He's going to be fine." Low Light stopped him from moving. "The spike missed his heart, Lifeline's got him stable."

"What happened?" Multiple chose not to complain about Trinity hugging him. "Everything's so fuzzy . . ."

" . . ." Hawk grabbed Flint, Slaughter, and Falcon, talking to them before moving towards Cyclops. "C'mon, we need to talk, all X men, Misfits and me. We'll get a perimeter set up while we're at it."

"That . . . was too close." Lifeline gave a relieved sigh as he finished healing Nightcrawler. "Thank God you have a small healing ability." Nightcralwer didn't respond, he was sound asleep. "Jean, you okay?" The young woman was pale and shaking, her hands covered in blood. "Jean?"

"I . . . He was dying . . ." Jean shook her head. "Nothing makes sense . . ."

"Take it easy." He put a hand on her shoulder. "What did you do?"

"I don't know Lifeline. I could feel his consciousness fading . . . I didn't want it to happen . . . so I just, held on." She kept trembling. "It all happened so fast . . ."

"I'll look after Nightcrawler and . . ." Bree stepped forward. Glancing at two other occupied beds. "Hawk wants to talk to everyone."

"Right." Lifeline then glanced at Jean. "Let's get you washed up."

"As of right now, we can't find Professor Xavier." Hawk looked at the X men. They were all looking like they'd gone through hell and back, Kitty, surprisingly, wasn't letting Collossus or Avalanche near her. Instead she was leaning against Rogue. "I need to know what happened." None of the X men were forthcoming.

"It was so quick . . ." Kitty whispered. "I was talking to Peter . . . then there was pain and the next thing I know I'm looking up at Scarlet and the Scarlet Witch." She shuddered.

"Gambit experienced the same thing she did." Remy added. He was holding Rogue's hand.

"It was a psychic attack." Jean spoke up. She was still shaking. "I know that much . . . Nightcrawler . . . Nightcrawler seemed immune . . . I can't remember anymore than seeing him . . . And then Wolverine and Rina . . ." She buried her face in her hands. Scott wrapped an arm around her.

"What happened to Kurt?"

"He was stabbed through the chest." Lifeline re-entered the room. "With this." He dropped a metal spike onto the table. It looked similar to the ones Spyke shot out, but completely metallic. "Wolverine and X 23 were stabbed with ones similar, but were red hot. All three should wake up in a day or two."

" . . . You don't think Magneto had anything to do with this?" Pietro stared at the spike.

"It wasn't anyone you know." They all jumped as a new voice piped up. "Take it easy, I'm not here for a fight. My name's Mindflare." He looked at the group, politely taking off his hat. "I was coming over to meet with Professor Xavier . . ."

"How do you know anything about this?" Low Light shifted.

"Well, I am Psychic, but that's beside the point." He put his hat back on. "I've been tracking several different mutants. Whom I believed attacked you. That doesn't matter anyway since they're none of the ones I wanted." He sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to come back later." Then he was gone before they could protest.

"I think I've said it before, or maybe someone else did, but we do attract the strangest people don't we?" Wanda blinked.

"We'll start working on finding who he is. In the mean time . . . would you mind the misfits staying with you until we can find out what happened?"

"That's fine." Everyone stared at Cyclops. "What?"

"We'd be spending some time over here, until Xavier is found." Althea re-explained.

"And I said 'That's fine'." He repeated. "We know you guys."

"You really got hit in the head hard, didn't you?" Avalanche frowned.

"Give us a few days . . . we'll recover." Storm promised from where she was holding an ice pack to her head. "Last time I felt this bad was when I created a tornado when my powers were first emerging." She then glanced at Shipwreck. "You try anything before I'm better I will zap you."

"I won't Stormy, promise."

"Let's finish fixing this place up." Lockheed flew in, whimpering as he landed in Kitty's arms. She started to sooth the dragon as she stood up.

"I'm going to go lie down." Then she walked through a wall.

"I'm going to go talk to Mainframe." Hawk nodded at Spirit. "You take care of everything?"

"Of course."

"Hey, Wanda, what happened to your hair?" Bobby blinked at her. Then the temperature of the room suddenly dropped.

"I'm going to lock him in the danger room and set it on level 1000." Wanda gave an icy smile. "Perfect revenge."

"Mommy."

* * *

"Trouble." Naomi straightened from putting a log on the fire and looked at Techno, who'd spoken. "Two Joes captured, codenames Wetsuit and Leatherneck. Attack using the ten of the twelve elite on X men successful, they've captured one Professor Xavier."

"Da-rn." Zarana glanced at Jess, who appeared to be sleeping. "That effectively throws a monkey wrench in our plans."

"No kidding." Crash shifted. "They'll be suspicious of any team of mutants."

" . . . Professor Xavier is a telepath isn't he?" Naomi looked at Techno and Zarana.

"Yes." Zarana shifted Jess, the child's elbow digging into her side. She stopped moving as Jess stirred. "A very powerful one, though he doesn't use it as much as others."

"What's wrong?" Alex looked up from the sandwich he was eating.

" . . . Project thirteen." Naomi shifted. "Don't know much about it, but they needed a telepath to start."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"From the way they were talking, yeah." Naomi frowned. "Which means we're running out of time as well."

"There's something wrong with Rick." They all turned to look at Marina. "He's kinda pink, and he feels hot." Quickstrike was checking the boy.

"Fever." He picked Rick up. "I'll put him to bed."

"I'll get the thermometer-" As she was standing to do it, she froze.

"Something wrong, Rana?" Naomi noticed.

"I . . . I just had a weird thought." Zarana glanced at the group.

"What?" Marina tilted her head.

"Well, I just thought I sounded like a mom." Zarana shrugged.

"You are." Surprisingly that came from Naomi.

"I thought you hated your foster parents?"

"Yeah, but you'd be the mom I would choose, if I had to pick." Naomi shrugged. "You at least don't try to guilt trip me for using my claws."

"Does that mean we're a family?" Marina tilted her head. Of all Earth concepts, the idea of family was one she liked the most, people who wouldn't abandon you, no matter what.

"A different one, but I guess so." Naomi slipped out as Zarana answered Marina.

In a far away base, several young men and women were celebrating.

"That was easy!" A young man with black hair and track pants grinned. "And They said it would be hard . . ."

"Mach One, shut up. We caught them unprepared, and the phoenix was unwilling to lose control to stop us." A woman with deep black skin glanced up from her book. She didn't look African, more like someone painted her black. "A pity we couldn't get that blue one to join us . . . he was cute." Two silver studs were in her right ear.

"You just want a pet, Gloom." Another young woman retorted, waving a hand with a six petaled flower tattooed on it. "And that Russian was cuter."

"Speaking of Pets, Mutate, have you found our wayward Animal?" Another boy looked up from his food.

"No." The redheaded woman looked up. "She's disappeared, and that female at Xavier's wasn't her." Mutate shifted. "But I'll find her . . . Would help if she got hurt."

"Well done, my dears." All of them jerked to attention. The man that entered had blonde hair with traces of gray and a mustache. "I'm proud of all of you."

"Does this mean we can get an X box now?" The boy that had spoken to Mutate looked up hopefully.

"I'll do one step further, Greenman. How about a PS3?" He smiled as an assistant delievered the box. "And good news, Animal has struck again."

"Again? I didn't feel her!" Mutate scowled.

"Of course you wouldn't, Mutate. She was made to be hard to detect. But don't worry, we'll catch her and Ten, eventually. And she'll be properly tamed, I'll see to it myself. I had gotten her to trust me once, I can do it again."

"Can we help?" The girl with the flower on her hand looked curious. "I could tame her."

"I'll think about it, Glitter. Tremor, what are you doing?" The boy in question was sitting with his back to the group. Long brown hair was halfway down his back.

"I don't feel good."

"Oh, poor baby . . . you've only been alive for a few years . . . this must've been a 'shock'." Glitter mocked.

"Hey, leave him alone, how would he know what the outside felt like?" Greenman glared at her. "He's an empath, remember? He hasn't finished his training!"

"Bring him to lab 3 and I'll have Dr. McDougal look at him." None of the others noticed that Tremor shivered. "Now, for your next mission . . ."

**Finally! I got the plot rolling again. There was a brief period where I couldn't think of anything. Next chapter will have more plot, and some brief insanity, and maybe a rescue.**

Panthera: You could take your time, not everyone cares about lack of updates.

**I have to do something and the final chapter on one of my stories is eluding me. I just need one chapter to end it . . . college and life seems to take up so much time.**


	6. Just Keep Moving

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything related to marvel, or G.I. Joe. (duh) **

**Just keep Moving**

In a far jungle, a rift appeared in the sky. Out of it fell a blue/gray skinned mutant.

" . . ." Apocalypse stood up, glaring as the rift closed up quickly. _Well, at least I know that the others were sent away as well. Damn that woman for getting in my way! I could have gotten control without her interfering! Even if she is an incarnation of me. _He absently brushed of the dirt and headed in the direction he knew one of his hidden temples was at. _Now I suppose I have to start all over. I made a mistake the first time, I see that now. I took people that had allies. Well, except for that Mystique woman. Which means I'll have to find horsemen that no longer have people that are looking for them, or don't care. I'll also have to convince them to join me of their own free will initially. It'll make it easier to control them. I'll also have to find out more about the modern world, while I'm at it. I only got bits and pieces while I was watching from the nexus. It'll take a bit, but I can't just go choosing anyone for horsemen. I wonder if Selene would be willing to help, she can't still be angry with me for that incident with her boyfriend. It's been over a few thousand years. Mm . . . Maybe I better not risk it. I can't afford to have a wildcard until I'm sure of my position. I rush my hand, I risk those X men and Misfits finding me. I will not be defeated again!_

* * *

"And where do you think you be going?" Quickstrike watched as Naomi stiffened. "I know you aren't thinking of running of and fighting by yourself."

" . . . The way things are going . . . I'm just going to get some one hurt." Naomi stared at the motorcycle helmet. "I wasn't planning on making a pack for myself. I just needed their help for one mission. Just one. Alex was supposed to disappear, Techno I was going to let stay with me till I found a better den, then I would have left her in that basement. Marina was a mistake, I was after the gn one of the thugs had. Crash . . . I don't really know how he joined. He just did, and Rana and the other three . . ." She glared at the helmet. "Now I can't get rid of them."

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving. I'm just curious whether you'll come back."

"Rick's sick." Naomi shifted. "He doesn't smell right, and there's the same scent sort of lingering on Zandar and Jess."

"Shouldn't you have told someone this?"

"I didn't know what it was." Naomi shifted. "Now that I do . . . I can get the antidote."

"Techno helped, didn't she?" Quickstrike looked amused at something. "For someone who keeps saying that she won't have a problem backstabbing anyone, you sure receive a lot of respect for it."

"What if she did?"

"Then you need a team to help you, or at least, a better transportation." Quickstrike kept his amused look as Alex and Marina entered the garage. Naomi glared at them, but didn't do anything as Quickstrike revealed a hidden door where the rakes were. The exact same place Crash had walked into. The three followed him down a set of stairs. "I call her the Dragonhawk. Not sure what her name was going to be. She was an experimental model during the cold war that got scrapped. Can fly undetected, and handles amazingly." The helicopter he showed them was small, and looked extremely delicate. "She's only a one seater, though. Mebbe two, if you don't mind being tight together."

"But there are four of us." Naomi glanced around, noticing another room of to the side. Quickstrike flicked on more lights and five more Dragonhawks were revealed, with a seventh one under construction. "You built them yourself?"

"Not that hard once you have de parts." Quickstrike grinned. "De Black Market be very kind to supply de parts."

" . . . I don't know how to fly." Naomi saw a hitch in the plan. "No, correction, I can take off, I can keep it in the air, but I can't land."

"How'd you learn the first two?"

"Multiple times of stealing Cobra jets or helicopters. I keep crashing them though." Quickstrike just patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll talk you through."

* * *

"Mainframe, please tell me you have something." Hawk sat at his desk.

"A couple 'somethings' Hawk. For starters, cobra's upping their genetics and there are two different doctors working on two different Mutant teams. The second one is listed as incomplete and 'termination immient' but the first one . . . This guy has played god and won. They don't have the names of the team, just numbers, and who funded that particular mutant."

"I'm not going to like this am I?"

"Number One was funded by Destro. He has a healing factor, and they used that to graft in several 'combat mutations'. Number Two was funded by Dr. Mindbender, and apparently is Psychic, along with enhanced genetics."

"Anything specific?"

"Not yet sir, this is just a summary of what's been done, no specifics yet. Number Three has enhanced Speed, and a few other tricks. That one was funded by Cobra Commander. Number four also had a healing factor, and a 'feral' mutation. Four's been listed as 'Dangerous', but has apparently tied with Number One for most enhancements. Four also was funded by the Baroness. Five doesn't have much on him, just listed as a 'melee mutant' and funded by none of the higher ups. Six once again raises the bar, she's funded by the woman the Crimson twins are married to . . . Demming. Literally Hawk, that's what the report says!" Mainframe noticed the look. "Anyway, Seven, Eight and Nine had low funding, but they apparently were able to work it so they're still 'capable soldiers'. Ten was funded by Tomax and Xamot, and eleven was unfunded like 7, 8 and 9. Finally Twelve is listed as 'new' and is also funded by the Crimson Guard." Mainframe sighed. "Sir, the last note on the report is four and Ten both escaped from their hold. And Four has a record of killing the vipers that got near it's cell."

" . . . And this is the group that kidnapped Xavier?"

"Minus Four and Ten, yes." Mainframe sighed.

" . . . Mainframe, what else are you not saying?" Hawk frowned as Mainframe ducked his head.

"Cobra Commander and Zartan, authorized experimentation on Zandar." That file had been the first he read. "Zarana turned traitor and rescued her brother, according to the file. Cobra Commander is offering an award for her to be brought in." Hawk had felt his mouth part slightly, his jaw almost hitting his desk. Zartan, in the history of the long struggle between Cobra and G.I. Joe had never betrayed his brother and sister. Zartan may have been a mercenary, but he definetly knew the value of family. Heck, he even took care of Mystique when she was pregnant (grant it, he did shove her off a boat to by time for his escape, but odds were he'd have taken care of her if the ninjas hadn't shown up.)

"You want to find her before Cobra does." Hawk saw Mainframe shift. "Mainframe, I know about you and Zarana." Mainframe jerked straighter and looked horrified. "There's an interesting video on my personal files, It shows Zarana shocking you into unconsciousness, then staying by your side until Zartan arrives. Moments later, Zarana is back and grabs a bomb that was left on you, saving your life." Hawk looked at him. "The next video I have is you and Zarana talking after that, and you letting her go free."

"Sir, I-"

"However, I hit the wrong set of buttons, and deleted the video from the main files. I'm not sure the video on my personal files is safe either, I have a bad habit of accidentally hitting 'delete'. Especially when the file is of unimportance to the current problem." He watched as Mainframe relaxed a hair. "I'm not going to do anything Mainframe. I would have done it long before this. No one else knows about the relationship, which I'm amazed, since it seems there's no possible way to keep secrets on this base. I've noticed an interesting coincidence that keeps happening everytime You and Zarana are in the same report, somehow, you get a hot tip about Cobra, and she gets away easy. That's the only reason I haven't blown the whistle." Hawk fought back amusement as Mainframe shifted like a kid who'd been sent to the principal's office. "It's also the reason I'm going to allow you to go after her. That, and I met your ex-wife, and I'm pretty sure Zarana's a step up." It really was, Hawk had wanted to strangle the woman when they'd first met. The woman was controlling, and wanted Mainframe to listen to her instead of his commanding officers. She'd even tried to tell Hawk off.

"Sir . . . I'd never compromise G.I. Joe."

"I know you wouldn't Mainframe. You're one of the few people that has more to gain by staying loyal than betraying G.I. Joe." Hawk sighed. "You'll need a small team. I'm afraid we can't spare very many at this point, Cobra's finally trying another half baked scheme, and that's on top of the X men being attacked."

"Right. I know Mutt's on Vacation, but do you think I can take him and Junkyard? Order's been sick for the past few days."

"Sure, Snake Eyes and Timber are still out as well, now that I think of it . . ." Hawk sighed. "You're dismissed . . ." Mainframe left and Hawk sighed once more. "Only in G.I. Joe . . ." He then reluctantly turned his attention to a file left on his desk by Psyche Out. Beach Head had suffered a nervous break down and needed to get away from G.I. Joe. In all honesty, there was something wrong with the picture being painted about Beach Head's actions, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out.

* * *

Mindflare scowled at his hotel ceiling. Xavier's capture put a damper on his plans, as well as the annoying fact that the Misfits were in New York. What was worse than all that was the psychological damage done to the X men. He hadn't expected the remaining ten to be allowed to attack missing the two. He got up and glanced at the sleeping young man in the other bed. At least he got Cypher out of this deal. He sighed. It was time to head back to his own home. Trickster looked at him before turning into a cat and curling on the bed.

Yes, it was time to go home. He'd put off the hunt for the artifacts long enough. And he already knew a team that would help him.

"I wish I was in the land of Cotton, old times there are not forgotten . . . look away, look away . . . Dixie . . ." He couldn't help half singing, half whispering part of the song.

**I thought it was strange that no one brought up the security cameras, I'm pretty sure that some of what happened in a 'top secret' place would have been videotaped. Also, playing off of some of my own thoughts, Zarana gave plans to Mainframe once, to help him out, and he didn't mention anything, so I thought they might have a deal where Zarana helps him with information, and Mainframe allows her to escape. And Hawk strikes me as someone who is very well versed in the characters of his men. **

**Also, there's a mistake in the last chapter. Scarlet says Dusty and 'Cross Country' are the ones fighting in the motor pool, and a moment later Lady Jaye mentions Cross Country was one of the men rushed to the infirmary. What I meant to say was Dusty and **_**Footloose**_** were fighting in the motor pool. My bad, I'll correct it eventually. **

**Finally the plot is moving. I realize that some parts have been serious and explanation driven, but I really needed to set up the characters and Plot. Once the two teams actually meet, then the sparks will fly. Also, I realize that there may be gaps or overlaps in the timeline . . . sorry. Keeping track of time is not my forte, (I'm chronically late most everywhere. It is a subject of extreme jokes among my family and friends) so please, if the timeline gets too confusing, tell me. I don't mind constructive criticism in reviews. (hint hint)**


	7. Friends Dont Abandon Friends

**Disclaimer: I pretty much own the outcasts and a few villains. That's it. **

**Note: Okay, so I'm not the most organized . . . Re-reading Evoltuion XMJ, I noticed that Cypher came into the story at the beginning. Whoops. Although, Red's got over 700 fics as of this posting. And I've read quite a few of them, so it's hard to keep straight what exactly happens in which story other than the basic idea.**

**Oh well, it's technically an AU story of the misfits, so let's just ignore any inconsistencies in the plot. That said, if I wind up re-introducing a character that appeared before in any of Red Witch's stories before Evoultion XMJ (or even during) . . . In my little world, they never met and or existed before then. **

**With that, let's start the chapter!**

**Friends Don't Abandon Friends**

"Anyone else worried about the X men?" Althea watched as once again Kitty chose to walk through a wall to avoid Peter and Lance. She'd been doing that for a day now.

"Kitty's not talking to either of them, is she?" Wanda glared at her reflection. The dye wasn't coming out and she was going to have to wait to re-dye it. Pink hair . . . how'd he bleach her hair without her knowing, anyway? She grinned, Pietro was albino, his hair was white . . . she could add color with no problem.

"Yeah . . . and Peter's actually avoiding a fight with lance." Aleatha turned to watch Jamie play a game of Tag with her sisters and Spyder. "This place is so . . . dull."

"Let me guess, If you find the group responsible, you're going to make them pay?"

"Big time. This is no fun."

"Quicksilver!!" Bobby chased after the speedster, throwing snowballs. "Die like a man!!"

"Bobby don't use your powers on the floors!" Sam had tried to land, and wound up sliding into a wall. "Ow . . ."

"My Twinkies!! Quicksilver!!" Althea blinked as several other X men and New Mutants seemed to snap out of their depression and chase after the speedster.

"Well, that works- Wanda?" The Scarlet Witch was gone, joining in the lynch mob. "Well . . . when in Rome- Hey Iceman, I've got an idea for a team up attack!" Althea got up and joined in.

"Someone help me!" Quicksilver pleaded to whoever was listening. Unfortunately, no one was.

"Hey, Summers, you okay?" Lance had iven up on trying to talk to Kitty, so he set off to find Scott. Surprisingly, he wasn't helping Forge fix the danger room, and was instead looking at his car.

"Huh?" Scott looked at him. "Oh, I'm fine."

"Summers, you're letting Forge fix the danger room, you let the misfits, who are airquote, army mutants stay over. You normally pitch a fit when we show up or stay for long. You are not fine."

" . . . My parents died when a plane exploded. I thought my brother did die. So for about a decade or so, I was the only living member of my family. My dad was an Airforce captain, a no nonsense, everything can be defined by logic type. He was always there. When I was little, I imitated him." Scott turned back to working on his car. "I did my best to look out for my little brothers. I fought of bullies, I helped my parents take care of them when they were sick." Scott shrugged. "My dad had definite views of the world, not blind or stuck in stone, or even bigoted, but just . . . he knew where he stood. For the first few years without them, I really didn't know what to do. Then Xavier got custody, and I finally had the stability I missed. Even if I wasn't normal, there was a goal, and something to work for."

"That why you put us in the category of bad without so much of a fight?"

"Pretty much. I'm sorry." Lance felt his mouth drop open. "I shouldn't have given you all such a hard time, especially since I know what it was like being in an orphanage."

"Summers, no one cares about that anymore. And I hate to break it to you, but you're not your dad. I doubt he got to know where he stood by being a stick in the mud and as rule oriented as you are." Lance leaned against the wall. "Chanelling Spirit here, but you really have to explore the horizon before you block yourself up. Otherwise it's too easy to knock you over."

"Yeah, you've got a point." He gave a half smile. There was a moment of quiet, and distantly the two heard Pietro screaming.

"Them? I thought you only had Alex?" Lance finally asked.

"I had a younger brother . . . maybe a little younger than Alex . . . he got really sick and was in the hospital for a while." Scott frowned, "I can't really remember him . . . I had slight amnesia from the hit to my head, but I know he died in the hospital and his name was Gabriel. Mom was really distraught." He grabbed a wrench. "But I guess I repressed a lot of it." He tried to remember but couldn't.

"I've been meaning to ask, but what type of engine do you have?" Lance opted for a change of topic, not wanting to have to deal with another trip down memory lane. Cars turned out to be a safe topic, as the two began to work on fixing up Scott's car.

KNOCKKNOCK!

"Come in." Jean was laying on her bed, trying to read a book. Unfortunately, the book she could find was Dracula, and that had brought back her worry over Kurt. She put it away, then blinked as she saw the person in her doorway. "Fred?"

"Ice cream helps when one of the girls feels upset." He held out a large tub of it. "Your spoons have gone missing, so I grabbed this . . ." It was a large serving spoon, a little bent from kitty's attempt to use it for one of her attempts at vegetarian lasgna. "Unless you don't want it." She levitated the spoon out of his hand.

"Thank you." She dug in. "Do you want some of the ice cream too? I can't eat a lot of it." He held up a large spoon as well. "You came prepared?"

"Quicksilver pulled a prank on Iceman." Fred watched as she raised an eyebrow. "Whipcream bomb, I think. I missed half of it, but he's been on a real spree lately. He glued the practice throwing stars to Todd and Xi's hands, Althea he stole her underwear and placed it in Lance's room. He's dyed Wanda and Trinity's hair a different color, and he changed out the Decafe with BA's coffee." She winced.

"Bet that went over well."

"The adults acted like they were drunk. Or in the case of Falcon and a few others, like little kids. I mean finger paints and everything. Turns out a bottle of something fell into the vat of Coffee as well." They too ignored Quicksilver's screams.

"Lifeline?" Todd hopped into the infirmary, the medic was on loan until Nightcrawler woke up.

"Yes?"

"Has Kurt woken up yet?"

"Not yet. He was lucky it missed his heart." '_By an eighth of an inch._' "Anything wrong?"

"Nah, just wanted to see if he was up." Todd shifted, "Is he going to wake up anytime soon?"

"Well- Yes." Kurt stirred in the bed. He was muttering in German. "Kurt, Kurt?"

"Lifeline?" Kurt blinked. "What hit me?" He winced at a slight twinge in his chest and stopped trying to sit up.

"A metal spike, yo. You feeling okay?" Todd hooped over.

"Nein. My chest hurts. Is Jean okay? She was screaming."

"She's fine, do you remember what happened?"

"Ja, we were attacked," He shifted, and winced again.

"Can you tell us what you remember, exactly?

"I was talking with Jean and we saw Wolverine and the professor head to Cerebro, The professor got a premonition or something and wanted to get there quickly, Rina had tagged along, but the two were talking about someone that they disagreed on. Jean tried to ask the professor what was going on, when suddenly they were both in pain. There was a girl and a guy standing there, and Wolverine and Rina went down. Jean tried to go Phoenix, but she couldn't do it, and . . . then everything gets kinda fuzzy, except for Jean yelling. Is everyone else alright?" Lifeline frowned as Kurt hesitated. He was hiding something.

"Professor Xavier was captured. We're looking for him now."

"And the others?"

"A little shook up, but they'll come out of it, yo, they've already started a lynch mob for Pietro." Todd pulled out a DVD player. "I brought you the rest of The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, and a few blackmail videos of Pietro in drag."

"Great! What episode were we on last?"

"I don't remember . . . I think it had Macross in it, though."

"Wait, Pietro in drag?"

"Yeah, he ticked off the triplets and they shaved his legs and gave him a makeover! No we watched that one.- Then we had him do the obstacle course in a dress and high heels, it's prime humiliation! Hey, I think this is it!" Lifeline left them to their cartoon. It would be a while before anyone realized Kurt was awake, and he might as well have a few hours of fun before the world started to fall again.

* * *

"Do I get a choice?" Mutt leaned against the door frame, annoyed.

"Mutt, Order's sick and who knows where Snake Eyes and Timber are, you're our best shot." Mainframe glanced at Terri, who was crawling with the puppies. "I don't really have very many options left, and I can't take Daemon or Firewall into the field."

"And you're such an idiot that you'd actually do this alone if I didn't say yes." Mutt sighed. "Give me a few hours?"

"Take as much time as you need to get ready." Three hours later, they were on the road.

* * *

"This is fun." Marina looked out the side of her craft. "The controls are almost exactly like the ones on the &&&$$."

"What?" Panthera frowned as she glanced up at marina's Dragonhawk.

"Uh . . . craft I use to fly on my home planet." She sighed. "Sorry."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Project Thirteen was top secret, but there's about four other labs that work in conjuction with it." Naomi scowled. "We're going to the one in Canada. It's the only one I know of."

"So you don't know everything." Long Range smirked.

"Never said I did, Range. My memory of the lab alternates between hazy and crystal clear. Unfortunately, when they started talking about it, it was in between my being insane and lucid." She glanced at the flight controls. "Anyway, the people who work on the project also developed a drug that they've started to feed to prisoners. It blocks some sort of antibody the place normally uses for mutations, and unless they're supplied, they'll get sick and slowly die. Again, my memory of the whole topic is fuzzy, but Techno got the name of the drug that fixes that."

"Let me guess, it didn't work on you?" Quickstrike watched as Panthera drifted a bit out of line. She fixed the course.

"A lot of things didn't work on me." She relaxed a hair. "What's our time?"

"We'll make it there soon. Long Range, you're drifting."

Zarana slipped into a booth at a Diner, happily accepting the coffee. Jess had gotten sick as well and Zandar wasn't looking to well either. She'd made a run to the store to get some fever reduction medicine, and Techno had told her to get some food while she was out. Crash was good at keeping Jess distracted from how ill she was feeling, but Zarana didn't really want to leave them alone for too long.

'You'd think there'd be a McDonalds or something in this place, instead of a couple quaint little diners.' She ignored the two men that got into the booth next to hers. She was about to take a sip of her coffee when they started talking.

"Mainframe, What makes you so sure Zarana really turned her back on Cobra? You can't trust those snakes any farther than you can throw them."

"It's just a hunch, Mutt. Hawk gave me the go ahead to start looking for her." She stared, wide eyed at the two men for a moment, before looking at her coffee.

'Oh, God, not now. Anytime else, just not now!' She glanced back up and bit her lip as she debated the merits of interacting with them. She could just forget they existed . . . As her eyes roved over the other occupants in the diner, she spotted a group of four men, one of whom was watching her. He noticed her gaze and glanced away, but revealed a cobra insignia under his black jacket. Another man had a distinctive red uniform under his trenchcoat. 'Damn it. Three vipers, one crimson guardsmen. Just my luck.' Her to go order came, and she got up. 'Well, let's make it four on three, just in case.' She smiled. Good thing 'Carol' was still a common name.

"Hey, Parker." She smiled as Mainframe turned to look at her. "Oh good, I thought it was you." She kept her smile in place as she noted the other man's frown. "You might not remember me, I'm Carol. Carol Wheelder." She noted the recognition from both.

"Carol, it's good to see you." He shook her hand.

"Likewise." She tilted her head slightly toward the vipers. "Wish I'd noticed you sooner, I could have joined you." She saw the Vipers shift. This time two of them were watching her.

"What have you been up to?"

"Oh, My brother's sick, and so are his kids. I'm the caretaker." She showed the bag of food.

"Kids?" Mutt asked.

"Yeah, only two are sick right now, but I worry about the others." Mainframe nodded, keeping an eye on the group she had pointed out. Things could get dicey in a bit.

**Writing stories is like playing chess, you have to move the pieces well enough that the reader doesn't see the 'king' of the plot, but you still have to hint at what it might be . . . I've put several pieces in motion, and now I have to keep track of who's doing what. The part of Fred and Jean talking wasn't actually planned, but . . . (shrugs) Someone had to check up on her.**

**I'll just have to see how the next few chapters pan out. Please review!**


	8. The Family Expands

**The Family Expands**

_Danger, trying to get the jewel in the king's crown. They had to get it away . . . a ship in the harbor, and behind them, a city burning to the ground. The guard held the box to his chest, Spear at the ready . . . never seeing the archer until the shaft entered his heart. But he wasn't the only one to die._

_All of the death and destruction, for a single stone. _

"Nice driving, Zarana." Mutt quipped from the back of the van. "Where'd you learn, Nascar speedway?" Junkyard gave a whuffing noise.

"Sorry. I'll take you both back to the diner in a bit." Zarana sighed. "What brings you two to look for me, anyway?"

"We got some cobra files, labeling you and your brother as personae non gratiae by Cobra standards. Came to offer you a hand, or amnesty, whichever Hawk decides." Mainframe watched as she ducked her head. "Zarana?"

"I don't think I can, I've got a family to think of first . . . a few of them have really bad trust issues . . . I can't leave them behind, nor can I make a decision for them." She pulled over to an abandoned house. "I'd love to join the joes, really I would, but-"

"Family comes first. We understand that." Mutt watched as Junkyard licked her cheek. "Who are you calling?"

"One of the older kids. She's watching the place." She sighed. "Techno? It's Rana."

* * *

"Panthera, Zarana has an issue." Panthera frowned as they headed toward the base.

"What is it?" She listened for a moment, then sighed. "Might as well. If Cobra was already snooping around town . . ." She looked at the others. "Zarana's taking two joes back to our place, what do you say, Quickstrike?"

"That's fine." He'd heard the explanation. "We don't have much time before they figure it out, anyway." Once Techno signed off, they looked at each other.

"Let's do it."

* * *

"Hey, Wetsuit, how are you holding up?" Leatherneck looked over at his friend.

"Not good . . . but the bleeding's stopped." Wetsuit put a hand to his side, one of the vipers had used a knife, and cut his side. It wasn't deep enough to have hit a vital organ, but it needed stitches. "Think they'd be more considerate and stitch me up?"

"Not a chance, They haven't fed us yet." Something exploded outside the cell. "I don't think they're going to anytime soon either." He got up from where he was sitting, and hauled Wetsuit out of the way just as the door was ripped from it hinges and lock and slammed against the far wall. A series of curses came from the door, and a girl stood up. There was a roar outside the door, and they watched as the girl rushed out the door. "Can you walk?"

"Start moving and we'll find out." Wetsuit snapped. Leatherneck ignored him in favor of looking out the door. There was a mutated monster that the girl was fighting. It looked like a cross between an elephant and a grizzly bear and a shark. "Holy . . ."

"She's trying to take it out with her bare hands?" Leatherneck shook his head. "She's crazier than you."

Panthera's thought were on a similar wavelength. She hadn't expected there to be any mutated animals around, nor had she expected them to be so big. She managed to lure the monster away from the others (it was the only one that was violent, or large, the others they'd encountered went down easily) and was now getting thrown around and almost killed. All her claws were doing were irritating the thing. 'I want longer claws.' Three inches were doing nada. The animal's trunk wrapped around her waist, and she was sent flying over its back. Unable to twist herself to land on her feet, she hit fairly hard.

Wetsuit dive-tackled and pulled the girl out of the way as Leatherneck got a dead viper's gun. He grunted as he realized that just made his wound open up. Leatherneck, meanwhile, aimed for between the eyes of the irate animal. However, he just managed to hit the creature's eye, causing it to rear up . . . and fall to the ground dead.

"Nice shot." The girl sat up. Wetsuit jerked as he saw the huge cut on her forehead disappear. "I take it you're the two joes that got captured?"

"Yeah, I'm Wetsuit, the gyrene over there is Leatherneck."

"Huh." She got up. "You're bleeding all over the place." He just grunted, trying to stop the bleeding. Leatherneck cautiously climbed over the monster.

"Who are you?"

"Panthera, here." She took a dead vipers jacket using her claws to shred it. "Use this."

"Panthera? What sort of name is that?"

"Mine. What sort of names are Wetsuit and Leatherneck?" She absently cracked her wrist.

"Ours. What are you doing here?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." She got up. "Can you walk?"

"Well enough." There was a moment where none of them were speaking. Panthera didn't mind, but the two Joes did. "Where are we going?"

"We've got two of your friends back at our base. Might as well bring you back and have them take you to yours."

* * *

"This is your place?" Mainframe glanced at the large cabin.

"Quickstrike's actually." Zarana parked. "C'mon."

"Rana, you're back!"

CRASH!

"Yes, I am." She put the food on the counter. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mainframe watched as the boy stood up. He was tall, and the frame of a large body builder. He just needed more muscle. "Who's with you?"

"They're joes." Both men turned to see a girl, with looks that could be termed as 'gypsy' and a robotic eye. "Mainframe and Mutt. The dog's called Junkyard."

"Ah . . . Oh, Zarana, Zandar got sick too." Crash tilted his head. "Techno banned me from helping."

"I'll check on them." Zarana headed to the stairs. "Jess. What are you doing out of bed?" The girl blinked at Zarana.

"When's Nome coming home?" The girl was flushed with fever. Zarana picked her up.

"Soon." Zarana promised.

"What's that?" Jess looked at Junkyard.

"It's a dog, dearheart." Junkyard walked over to the two, wagging his tail. He licked the girl's hand, making her squeal a bit. "He won't hurt you."

"Wet." Jess blinked. "Can I keep him?"

"He's not ours, He's Mutt's . . ." Jess had closed her eyes, buring her face into Zarana's neck. Zarana winced as she felt the heat from the little girl's forehead. "Mainframe, there's fever reduction medicine in the small brown bag. Techno, get Crash to a chair, then come help me."

"What can I do?" Mutt looked at Zarana.

" . . . Keep an eye on Crash?"

"Okay. Junkyard, go with Jess." The dog wagged his tail, and followed Zarana. Several hours later, Techno reported the others coming in.

"You took four dragonhawks . . . how did you get six people back?" Zarana met them in the hangar.

" . . ." Panthera moved past her. Zarana could hear a slight growl in her throat.

" . . . We had the girl's sit on their laps." Long Range helped Wetsuit to a seat. "Panthera didn't like it, and Marina just talked the whole time."

"That would do it, she doesn't go for physical contact." Zarana sighed, "Can he make it up the stairs? We've got the first aid kit."

"And we can get this show on the road."

* * *

A growl attracted the attention of Lifeline, Kurt and Todd had fallen asleep.

"Wolverine?" Lifeline watched his eyes flicker open.

"What are you doing here?"

"The institute was attacked. The misfits are staying over until we can find the professor." Lifeline explained. "You, Rina and Kurt were the worst off.-"

"Yes!!" Logan and Lifeline blinked at each other, before going to check on Forge. Hank, Storm and Spirit were there as well.

"What's up?"

"Forge fixed the Danger room." Hank looked a little surprised. "He also found some of the sentinel hamsters that were missing."

"Not only that, but look!" He held up a patch of cloth. It was black, but there was red on part of it. "Looks like Cobra attacked us, unless this is left over from one of the other times . . ."

"No, Cobra doesn't normally give out black uniforms . . . the Baroness is kinda the exception. Destro on occasion as well . . ." Lifeline shrugged. "None of us ever found out why, anyway."

"What I don't get is why they trashed the danger room. Normally the villains go for Cerebro." Ororo sighed. "I don't suppose you remember what happened Logan?"

"I was arguing with Charles then I got attacked. I barely had time to threaten, let alone pull out my claws." Logan frowned. "Which I don't get, we went over security this morning. There was no way for them to have gotten in here so quick . . . And the kids are better fighters than that!"

"Yeah, well, we should be getting answers soon." Low Light entered. "Hawk's on the line, Mainframe's got some new information."

* * *

"Kurt, are you all right?" Jean went to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. They were all gathering in the war room.

"I'm fine. I'll feel even better when we get the professor back."

"If there's a rescue mission, you're not helping." Lifeline crossed his arms, "You still have to take it easy."

"Logan!" Jubilee tackled him. "Is Rina alright? They wouldn't let me in." Sparks shot from her hands. "Oops."

"The fact your power is a bit out of control doesn't help you, either." Tabitha sighed. "Though Jesse somehow managed to get his sorta under control." The screen turned on, Split to Show General Hawk and Mainframe.

"Well, we've got some good news and bad news." Hawk started. "We've found out who attacked you, but we don't know where the professor-"

"Actually, Hawk, we do. It's what I was calling to tell you." Mainframe interrupted. "A team of mercenaries broke into a lab and not only helped Wetsuit and Leatherneck escape, but they also got some information, including where the Professor is."

"How the hell did you manage that?" Logan crossed his arms.

"Mainframe was sent to contact a mercenary that might have information on Cobra. I was unaware that there was a group, though." Hawk explained. "How trustworthy is the information?"

"It's trustworthy. The team has a personal interest in helping us- but there's a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

"X men and misfits would have to follow their lead."

"To get the professor back, I don't think we'll have a problem." Cyclops crossed his arms, "But how do we know for sure if they're not leading us into a trap?"

"Four of them have been experimented on by Cobra, and three of them are on Cobra Commander's hit list. They've been destroying cobra bases for the past year." Mainframe glanced over his shoulder at something behind him. "And from what I'm seeing, they really don't have a reason not to help."

"What's the plan?" Leatherneck joined Mainframe at the screen.

"They'll clear the area to the cell and cause some chaos, that leaves you open to cause more chaos, get the professor and get out." Leatherneck shrugged. "That's all they told us. They're not that much interested in what happens to the professor as stopping whatever is happening."

"Do you know-"

"Not a clue, Hawk. We can probably give details when we meet up at the base." Leatherneck seemed to be frowning at something that was happening off screen.

It took a little longer to iron out details, but the screens finally went blank and the teams could get a little more sleep before they had to move out. Or at least, the X men and Misfits.

"How come I have to stay behind?" Crash crossed his arms.

"The fact you still see overlaps?" Marina shook her head.

"Yowch!" Wetsuit had to bite back a few curses as Zarana finished stitching him up. He'd managed to avoid it while Leatherneck was busy with Mainframe and Quickstrike setting up the video phone, but then Leatherneck had pinned him down.

"Quit your whining you big baby. It's not that bad."

"She didn't even use a local!"

"We only have one bottle of morphine, and no locals." Zarana looked annoyed. "Crash is better behaved than you!"

"Shut up Gyrene!"

"Those two . . ." Mutt shook his head. Junkyard was currently laying next to Jess upstairs, the dog had taken to her. "So . . . Your mom's Zarana?"

"I'm adopted." Naomi gave a half smile. Mainframe let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "We all call her mom though and Jess has taken to calling Quickstrike 'Uncle'."

"I see a problem." Mainframe jerked as Zandar spoke near his head. He'd recovered enough to get down stairs, though he still didn't look good. (fur aside)

"What?" Mainframe looked at him.

"They like having you around." Zandar moved one hand to cover his mouth, wincing. "So what will happen when it's time for you to go?" Mainframe turned his attention back to group. Long Range was talking with Leatherneck, Marina and Zarana were talking to Wetsuit, Panthera was still talking to Mutt, and Crash was being re-directed by Quickstrike to join Techno in sitting on the couch.

"We'll have to take it as it comes."

**Yeah. I decided to add Wetsuit and Leatherneck to the family. I've been thinking about it ever since Mutt found Terri back in the Outcasts story. (Mutt was a given, due to Terri.) Though I've been debating about Mainframe. He might wind up like Lifeline, not being an actual handler, but still a part of the family. Guess which kids they get? (Hint, they don't get mutants) Though I'm thinking I might give Leatherneck two . . . still working on that.**


	9. A rescue and a deal

**A rescue and a deal**

"Alright, Misfits that are going: Wavedancer, Toad, Blob, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Handlers going are Roadblock and Low Light." Hawk felt a faint stirring of a headache. "Other Joes going are Sgt. Slaughter, Duke and Myself, along with Lifeline. Who's going for the X men?"

"Phoenix, Me, Beast, Wolverine, Shadowcat, Rogue and Gambit." Cyclops crossed his arms. "This is going to be a small team isn't it?"

"Counting Leatherneck and Mainframe, there are going to be eight of the mercenary team coming. Wetsuit's apparently injured and Mutt is staying with him." Hawk nodded.

"Why am I staying behind?" Lance looked put out.

"Because you'd be needed here if they tried to attack while our backs are turned." Wavedancer offered.

"Collosus is in charge of the team till we get back with the Professor, just like how Storm is in charge of the institute." Beast nodded.

* * *

"We're going to slip in and sabotage a Cobra base with 8 people?" Leatherneck stared at the plans in front of him. "Not to mention four of them are kids."

"You sound almost disappointed." Zarana looked at him.

"If that girl is Databank, then yes. The kids shouldn't have to do this."

"Well, if Cobra hadn't experimented on genetics, I **wouldn't** be doing this." Panthera growled.

"Being able to hit a target part of my family's business. You can worry about how that affects us psychologically later." Long Range scowled at the plans. "Too many blank spots, _chica_."

"Either the base is uncomplete or the other parts are classified above top secret."

"The bases all have the same universal design." Zarana sighed. "This would be based of Dr. Mindbender's bases. One large room here, for Cobra Comander's throne . . ." She began to sketch. "Labs . . . barracks . . . Holding cells," She trailed off.

"And an area still not mapped out." Leatherneck frowned.

"From the looks of it, those would be holding labs." Quickstrike spoke up. "A small lab with ample security, generally with a table with straps, or tanks of water."

"Teams of two?"

"As much as I hate to say it, fine." Panthera growled again. "Marina's with Zarana, Techno goes with Mainframe, Quickstrike and Long Range team up, which leaves me with Leatherneck." She glanced at him. "Unless you have an objection."

"No. Let's go."

Security wasn't as strong as any of them predicted. Leatherneck and Panthera went by a guardhouse where the vipers were watching the third pirates of the Caribean movie, and drinking.

"You'd think with a dangerous mutant inside, they'd be a little more alert." He muttered.

"They think they're gods. As long as the mutants are contained, they can do whatever they want with them." Panthera gave a low growl that he almost missed.

"So I've heard." He glanced away. "Quickstrike and Long Range are in position."

"Right. Let's go."

"How did you get like this?" Mainframe asked Techno.

"Don't know. My memory banks only contain waking in a junkyard." She adjusted the leather jacket she was wearing. "My human brain is damaged . . . possibly beyond all repair, so I must rely on the computer that was installed to keep me alive."

"But you have emotions."

"Simulated by knowledge from the internet and my companions. I cannot cry, or feel remorse. That is the one of the few emotions I cannot accurately mimic." A wry smile twitched her lips. "Though I suppose I should be glad for that."

"Think Panthera will tolerate Leatherneck?" Longe Range glanced up briefly from his rifle.

"She knows how to do a job. She'll compromise, as long as he stays out of her personal business."

"Techno and Mainframe are in position. We're hacking the firewall now. Should there be any of the tweleve here?"

"No, they may do the dirty work, but they can't guard unless there's a reason for it. They think the Joes and X men aren't coming." Zarana spoke up. "They'll be busy somewhere else. We're in position."

"So are we, now Tech."

"Virus uploaded. Start moving." Long Range quickly took out the alert sentries as Quickstrike went down through the roof. Marina slipped through a drainage pipe from a previous building, taking out the guards in her cornor.

"Charges set, thirty seconds." Zarana shot through the drainage pipe.

"We're in." Leatherneck followed Panthera through an open door. Moments later parts of the base woke up as the fuel hangar exploded. A voice sounded, reporting a gas leak in said hangar and some bogus excuse for the explosion. "Neat Trick."

"Wait for the finally."

* * *

"Got any twos?" Jess looked up at Wetsuit.

"Nope, go fish." He glanced on the clock on the wall again.

"Don't worry. Something good will happen."

"How do you know?" Zandar looked at her.

"I see good things and bad things. The really important ones. Like Nome being left behind by some guy I haven't met, or you looking at Tetherneck on a hospital bed." She blinked at them. "But both of those are things happened before I met you." Mutt glanced up from his cards and looked at the other two men.

"Is that what you do?"

"Uh huh. Supposed to do something else, but I don't know what." She looked at Wetsuit. "Your turn."

"Right, and his name's Leatherneck, not Tetherneck." Wetsuit silently hoped that she couldn't see everything that had happened. He had some skeletons in his closet that were better left alone. Just like most of G.I. Joe. "Rick, got any fours?" Rick handed the card over.

* * *

"Looks like they know we're here." Leatherneck took out a viper, Panthera took out another viper that was coming up behind him. "Kinda messy aren't you?"

"If it keeps them down, I do it." She looked at him. Then her eyes narrowed and a low growl came out of her. She moved fast, killing vipers in her way. He got a glimpse of a white lab coat a moment before she slammed into it.

"You!" She hissed.

"Freak . . . how'd you escape?" The scientist yelped as she dug her claws into the part of the shoulder closest to the neck.

"Where's Dr. McDougal and Dr. Moreau?"

"I don't know! I wouldn't tell you if I did." She growled and four claw marks appeared on his cheek. The scientist whimpered, but didn't change his story. Leatherneck shot two more vipers.

"Then I'll make sure you die slow." Leatherneck knocked out one more viper, wincing as The scientist screamed, before he shot the last one. "Just like the way you killed them." Leatherneck put a hand on her shoulder. "What?" She snarled at him.

"He's not worth it." Leatherneck was keeping an eye down another hallway, but he was focused on the girl in front of him. "Whatever he did to you, torturing him to death isn't the answer. That makes you like him, kid." He wasn't sure what Panthera had been through, but he was pretty sure it hadn't been good. "You act like that weapon they were going to make you, they win. And I know you don't want that." The guy was still whimpering.

"Maybe you're right, acting better than them would be a **moral** victory. But that way takes to slow and they always slip through the cracks, Some turning their work to the government and getting plea deals to get away with** murder**." Leatherneck stiffened. The girl had given some thought to this, apparently. "This one's not a big fish, I'll give him to you . . . but I'm going to make sure he can't hurt anyone else." It happened quicker than he expected. Somehow, she grabbed both of the man's hands and yanked or twisted them. There were several crunching and snapping sounds, and the man passed out. She turned on Leatherneck. "He was a neuro-surgeon, if you won't let me take his life, at least he won't be able to make a living."

"Fine by me kid." He absently adjusted his hat. "But he might have more to say about Cobra other than those two names aren't in the base. Like what project thirteen **is**." She glared, then quickly pulled him behind the debris.

"What in the Sam hill happened here?" Leatherneck glanced at her, before looking to see Hawk and the others.

"It's okay, it's the misfits and X men." He got up. "General Hawk!"

"Leatherneck, what did this?" Lifeline was ignoring them in favor of checking the unconscious scientist.

"Leatherneck, behind you!" He briefly glanced over his shoulder to see Panthera move out from cover. The reason for Shipwreck's warning would be the blood that coating the girl's hands and had splattered onto her cheek.

"It's alright. This is Panthera, She's the leader of the group we're working with." He looked at her. "You okay?"

"Just fine, it's not my blood." She glanced at Lifeline. Leatherneck absently shifted to make sure he could grab her. "What's he doing?"

"He's a medic and non combatant. He's just doing his job." He wasn't sure if there was annoyance or anger in her eyes.

"Let's get moving." It was gone pretty fast. "Xavier's down near the labs."

Wavedancer frowned as she watched the interaction. It wasn't hard to see that the girl was dangerous. But why Leatherneck had to explain Lifeline was a little bit past her.

"You're the leader of a team of mercenaries?" St. Slaughter questioned as they started to move. "You can't be older than fifteen or fourteen."

"Looks can be deceiving." She glanced at him. "Whatcha got?" She turned her head and seemed to be listening to someone else. (It took a moment for them to realize she was talking on her radio.) "Hold your position, Techno, hot wire the locks. We need the barracks sealed, and be careful which locks you open. This was a multi-use lab, we've got animals and who knows what else."

"Kid, if there's anything like that elephant-bear-shark, I don't think we **want** to know. What do you mean, samples from Cobra-la?" Leatherneck paled. "Uh, General Hawk, we've got a slight problem." As he spoke a large worm broke the wall ahead of them. "Make that several large ones."

"Like, eww." Shadowcat wrinkled her nose. "Totally gross."

"What are you, a dumb blonde?" Panthera looked at her.

"Tact, kid. You really shouldn't insult the people you're gonna fight with." Leatherneck gave her a stern look.

"Sorry, I left my social skills in my other jacket." She growled. "Oh wait, this **is** my other jacket." Leatherneck did a double take.

"How far are we from the professor?" Cyclops put one hand to the edge of his visor.

"A flight of stairs and few hundred meters." She backed up as the floor bucked. "Basically, straight through the sci-fi film rejects."

"Of course." Wavedancer sighed.

"Then let's blast them!" Shooter pointed his fingers.

"Misfits go!"

"X-men, Beta formation!"

"Yo Joe!" Panthera watched for a moment, amused by something.

You had to feel sorry for the worms and a few of the other large bugs. They didn't have a snowball's chance in hell. Especially when Toad used some of his acid slime.

"That was fun. Toad, don't eat that, it'll give you indigestion!" Roadblock pulled his son away from the large cockroach he was nibbling on. Just beyond the monsters, on the stairwell, were cobra soldiers that had animal traits.

"What the hell are they doing?" Shipwreck muttered a few other choice words.

"They're trying to splice the DNA of those things with either people DNA or animal. Don't have a bloody clue as to why."

"Rana!" Zarana was sitting behind rubble, one leg bloody. Panthera moved to her side.

"I'll be alright." She hissed as Panthera checked her leg. "Bloody thing caught me and threw me, blast doors separated me from the others." She nodded over at a man that had apparently been spliced with an elephant.

"What the heck? You work with Cobra?" Wavedancer glared at Panthera.

"Zartan let Zandar get experimented on, so I threw in my Resignation. Me and Zandar are independent now." She looked at them. "Don't suppose you care about that, but I can honestly say I wasn't aware of any of this."

"We've got separate conformation, as well. She's legit." Hawk offered.

"I bet." Wavedancer blinked as Panthera growled.

"Let's go." Zarana intervened. "We can talk later."

"Here, let me help." Lifeline touched her leg. As he did, he saw Panthera tense again. '_What's with her?'_

'_Beats me, I think it's your power.'_ Zarana got up. "Thank you, Lifeline." A blast door later, they were in a room with a huge sphere in the center, The professor was inside and hooked up to several wires and machines. Mainframe was already working on disabling it, Jean and Shadowcat helped him. The other Outcasts were standing guard.

"Quickstrike." Duke looked at the Mercenary. "What are you doing here?"

"Fightin' with my team. Cobra crossed me once, it won't happen a second time."

"Zarana, Quickstrike, we're willing to give you amnesty if you join G.I. Joe." Hawk saw their glances stray to the teens. "They can come too, joining the Misfits."

"No." Panthera growled.

"You heard her General." Quickstrike chuckled.

"What's wrong with that arrangement?" Hawk addressed Panthera.

"I'm not joining my pack with hers." Panthera nodded over towards Wavedancer. "Nor am I about to trust my pack to the government."

"We aren't going to experiment on any of you." Duke spoke up.

"Yeah, you could join our happy little family- Yow!" Quicksilver never saw the hit coming. One moment, he was trying to act suave and his normal, hit on girls self, the next, the arm he had tried to put around her back was being bent behind him and he was facing the ground.

"Next time, you lose the arm." Panthera hissed. She squeezed the arm tighter for a moment, then let him go. The sound of a rifle being disarmed sounded. And Wavedancer watched as the team relaxed. She met Panthera's stare, and felt slightly unnerved. If the two teams merged, the two would start a fight for dominance, and at the moment, Wavedancer didn't think she'd win. She held the gaze, but had to glance away when Hawk started to talk again.

"Look-"

"Hold on a second, Genernal, the girl's got a point." Sgt. Slaughter spoke up. "You can't have two Alphas in the same group, that's just asking for trouble, especially if you're trying to merge two already formed packs into one. The kids would kill each other." Hawk winced at the image, realizing he was right. "And the adults are all biased as well. The misfits are a fairly large team already, let's hold off on recruiting any more to them."

"Start a new team of teenage mutants?" Duke felt the faint pangs of a headache.

"I'm human."

"I'm humanish."

"I'm not a mutant." Marina looked up.

"I'd look after them." Leatherneck spoke up. "Mutt and Wetsuit wouldn't mind either. And we'd already have Zandar, Zarana and Quickstrike. That's a family unit right there."

"So the deal would be amnesty, Not allowing you to be handed over for any form of experimentation, as well as adults you'd know looking after you. We could probably set up another house on base for the team, Panthera." Hawk looked at the girl. "How's that deal?" She glanced at the team behind her.

"Don't have much to lose, and we'll gain more this way, _chica_." Long Range nodded.

"It's sound." Techno's robotic eye winked a bit. Marina just gave a soft confirmation noise.

"You have a deal, General." Panthera finally gave consent. "Call us the Outcasts."

"Good." After she shook Hawk's hand, her eyes met Wavedancer's again. This time, it was acknowledgement of an equal. "Can you tell us what this is?"

"As far as we can tell, it's just recording vitals and brainwaves. Project Thirteen is pretty mum . . . we've reason to believe that the plans have been separated and no one has the complete plan, except for the mysterious 'T'." Techno supplied at a nod from Panthera. "The entire project will be activated in the projects main lab, Lab 13666. But no such Lab exists in the databanks or even a supply list."

"Two unlucky numbers . . . Is there a signifigance to them?"

"Other than it means bad news to good people everywhere?" Techno shook her head. "Nothing stated in the reports, this is the second lab working on the project, and there are a confirmed four." Eventually, talk tapered off as Mainframe finished with the locks.

"One Shot." They looked at Gambit, who was staring at Long Range. "Is that you?"

"_El blanc Diablo_ . . ." He gave a half smile. "Go figure."

"What?"

"Wait a second, One Shot's a kid?" Low Light interrupted. He was looking at Long Range. "One of the best assassins in the world, is a **teenager**?"

"Shocking isn't it?" Zarana sighed.

"He's an **assassin**?"

"From the New York Chapter of the Assassin's guild. Belladonna mentioned he was in trouble . . . I can't believe you went against your dad." Remy looked at him. "Partnering with that corporate thief the . . . Wildcat . . ." He stared at Panthera.

"Just remember Remy, I helped you out after you killed Julien. You owe me one." Long Range met Gambit's eyes.

"_Mon ami_, I am not one to stab anyone in the back."

"So basically, we just signed on a couple felons." Shipwreck quipped.

"Since Shooter over there is a 'felon' himself, you don't have a right to talk." Techno looked at him. "Besides, there's only so much work we're suited for. Killing and stealing to stay alive is all we really know."

"This is going to be a train wreck, I just know it." Duke muttered. "No wonder Beach Head snapped, it's getting past soap opera stage to melodrama."

**Longest chapter with 9 pages! The exact details of what Long Range and Remy are talking about will be revealed when the Outcasts go to the X mansion. Next up, a slight timeskip and we find out where Mindflare took Cypher.**

**(*I have to pace myself on insanity, especially since a certain seminar is coming up in a few chapters . . . and I have a few angst scenes coming up.)**

"No kidding." Panthera groaned.

"What's wrong?" Cyclops looked at her.

"She's already written a future chapter, and I read it." Hands a few papers over. "Guess what happens?"

"This is just an outline- oh." He winced. "The exact details of what happened to you in the lab are revealed . . . That's a chapter and a half?"

**Potentially. Might go longer, now give it back!**

Panthera rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was referring to who and how we get our new recruits to the outcasts. 'great angst' seems to be a pre-requiste. This one." Cyclops winced.

"You're getting of mild compared to a few of the others, all the bad stuff has already happenend to you, you're just dealing with the aftermath." Althea sighed. "And that's not including the mental torture she's going to put **me **through . . ."

"She might scrap that idea, though, so you can't count it."

"No, she might scrap making it a multi-chapter arc and condense it into one!" Storm shouted off stage. "I don't come out to well in that one either!"

**Okay, now you're getting out of control, I wonder if Red Witch will loan me her mallet as well . . . Or maybe RogueFan KC . . . **

"No!!"

**See you around!**


	10. Settling in, Kinda

**Heehee, Iz gotz a mallet from Red Witch! And haz been reeding lotz of Lolcatz . . . **

Panthera: Why am I doing this again?

**Because I'm supposed to do this every chapter and I forgot. (Swings mallet)**

"Right . . . Okay, ShivaVixen only owns the outcasts and any other oc's that don't have an alter identity in G.I. Joe, Marvel, or any future crossovers she may do. Althea and the Misfits are the brainchild of Red Witch, so please, don't bother suing her as she owns practically nothing." Panthera crossed her arms. "Happy?"

**Much, and now:**

**Settling in, Kinda**

"How are the Outcasts adjusting?" Xavier asked Hawk a few days later.

"Well enough . . . we're still trying to assign the kids parents, and right now, there's a slight problem with Panthera. Her legal guardians are still alive, and while she claims to be eighteen, we have her pegged for a little younger, and needing their permission to stay . . ." Hawk shook his head. "She's being a little problematic, but we can deal with it. But she doesn't like Lifeline for some reason."

"That's strange . . . Lifeline's the only joe over there that I'd have a hard time seeing anyone not like."

"She doesn't like Doc, Psyche Out, Bree or Dragonfly either, so we're pretty confident it's a 'don't like any medical personel' type thing. Leatherneck thinks she was experimented on by Cobra, and Zarana hasn't denied that question either. She just won't open up about it."

"Do you want my help?"

"No, She hates Telepaths. Won't get near Foresight, and after Dial tone slipped up and mentioned Lifeline's gift in her hearing, she's got a double reason to avoid him." Hawk sighed. "To put it bluntly, she's a little unstable, but until we can get her trust, there's nothing we can do about it. She's already attacked Quicksilver and Arcade, and we've given her extra training with Sgt. Slaughter, which seems to be working a lot better than KP. All the others are settling down, but we had to put Zandar in the infirmary, unofficial diagnosis is a seizure, and we think it's from the experimentation Cobra did to him. On another note, do you know who that Psychic was?"

"Yes. His name's Mindflare. He's a bit eccentric, but isn't something to worry about. He prefers being under the radar as much as possible and will not cause any trouble if he can help it." Xavier sighed. "It's a bit distressing that he actually sought me out. He's a scholar that specializes in hunting down rare and mystical artifacts. Like the M'Kraan crystal, the Destiny stone, gem of Cryottak, things like that." Hawk tensed, relieved it was just a phone call. "But we'll see. It's been over five years since I've seen him." The topic turned to other matters, such as Storm's potential for a restraining order, and which liquor was better for which situation, before closing.

"General Hawk, I'm afraid I've some bad news." Storm Shadow entered the room. Hawk looked up at the ninja. He was going to get a headache today, and an excuse to open up his new bottle of scotch. He just knew it.

"What is it, Storm Shadow?"

"It's about Snake Eyes . . . there's been an incident." Hawk's eyes widened. "You know how Snake Eyes went off on a mission, then was going to the Arashikage clan base to work? Well, he helped train two apprentices . . . but Cobra, probably Zartan, tracked him down."

"What happened?"

"The apprentices were captured with Snake Eyes . . . He was only able to save one."

"How is he taking it?"

"Hard . . . they were both the Misfits age. Unfortunately, Cobra is already aware of the survivor's identity. Would you allow Snake Eyes to continue training him, on base?"

"We can work something out . . . You'll be heading back to your clan?"

"Yes . . . As soon as Snake Eyes makes it back here and we can get the apprentice settled."

* * *

"Extra training with Sgt. Slaughter?" Pietro snorted. "That's it? No KP, no anything else? She could have damaged my face!"

"And have killed me." Arcade deadpanned.

"About that. What did you two hombres do to her?" Long Range interrupted. "She rarely strikes first unless you're a cobra agent or a target."

"Pietro had fuzzy sock on the carpet again. He was messing with Static electricity, and he tapped her shoulder-"

"Dios, no wonder she threw him." Long Range shook his head. "You're the idiot who messed with her first."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Althea crossed her arms. "She over reacted!"

"Panthera has an aversion to electricity." Techno spoke up. "It stems from her being in a genetics lab. They used a shock collar and tasers to subdue her if she ever fought back. She can work through it if she has too, but otherwise a sudden shock can trigger a violent reaction." She held up her metal arm, revealing four scratches. "When I had a short circuit, I accidentally touched her. She slashed at me before realizing who I was."

"Oh . . ." Althea blinked. "Like how Storm reacted to being locked in a closet." She verified for Fred, who was looking blank.

"Oh, when she zapped everyone involved and actually managed to throw us all out of the mansion, while being really scary?" Althea nodded. "I get it now." It was the only prank the misfits would never do again to Storm. It was also a great lesson on how fast a bolt of lightining can cross a distance and strike a moving object, namely, Quicksilver. Even the Triplets had fled in fear. Storm really and truly angry was terrifying.

"Throwing someone through a window is a pretty tame reaction, actually." Marina responded. "Normally she'd have broken or ripped off your arm."

"That makes me feel so much better." The two teams entered the mess hall. "What the-"

"Hound Dog!"

"Kitty cat!" Red Dog and Panthera were growling at each other.

"Break it up you two!" Sarge yelled at them.

"He/She started it!" They glared at each other. Taurus was laughing.

"Aw, Panthera made some friends." Long Range laughed. Panthera turned and glared at him.

"Don't make me kill you." Long Range kept his smile.

"That would be another game of cat and mouse then, wouldn't it?" Marina shook her head.

"Mmhmm, and maybe I'd win again." Long Range kept moving even as Panthera gave a low growl. She still sat next to him though. Crash, Marina and Techno closed off the table.

"I see why they're called the outcasts . . . not very social, are they?" The misfits sat at one of the longer tables.

"Wouldn't 'Outcasts' denote unwanted by someone?" Lina glanced over her shoulder. "They all look- well, I just don't see any parents refusing to deal with Panthera's mutation." Fred put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't forget, she was in a genetics lab . . . maybe she was rejected as a subject?" Lance kept eating.

"Maybe. I'm surprised Hawk's letting them renovate one of the hangars on the outskirts of the base to be a home. Even the New Mutants stick with the X men." Angelica frowned.

"That's because they're considered the same group. These guys don't want anything to do with us." Wanda scowled. "and to be honest, I don't think I want anything to do with them either. That Human took out ten vipers without batting an eye. And he's not that much older than us."

"I don't think any of them thought twice about fighting." They watched as Marina laughed.

At the same time "So, how was the drilling?" Long Range smiled.

"Great. You do realize that I have to do it for the next month though." Panthera scowled. "Guess they're not that foolish to trust me afterall."

"Who in their right mind would trust you?" Long Range reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "You're a thief, assassin, and extremely cunning when you want to be. Not to mention you don't like being bossed around. And the constant death threats." She leaned into the shoulder rub. A soft growl leaking out.

"Aw, you're purring." Marina laughed. Panthera glared but let him continue.

"I'm supposed to give you a lecture on PDA at some point, but seeing what Althea and Todd are doing probably negates that." Zarana walked over to them, holding Terri, Mutt and Junkyard had a few things to take care of. "What's going on?"

"Panthera purrs!" Marina smiled.

"We're talking how Panthera has a bad rep, and the only thing you remember is 'Panthera purrs'?" Techno deadpanned. "Are you glitching or something?" That set the entire table off laughing, including Zarana. Terri growled and reached for Panthera.

"Hey . . ." Marina acted mock hurt. But she couldn't stop the smile.

"How's Zandar?" Panthera took Terri, letting the little girl tug her hair. No one commented as Terri eventually drifted off to sleep, Panthera still 'purring'.

"Recovering. He'll be out soon." Zarana smiled. "And on that line of thought- do the five of you have to keep going into each other's rooms?"

"We've lived in a basement and a tool shed and then we lived in a van for two months, Rana." Crash spoke up. "It's weird not being able to sleep with each other."

"Way to make it sound awkward, amigo." Long Range got up.

"Wha- oh!" He turned red. "Not what I meant."

"We know." The girls chorused at the same time.

"Okay, anyone else thinks it weird that Panthera is acting really relaxed?" Angelica was ignoring Althea and Todd, who were having a moment to themselves, in a nice separate bubble of reality. "It's like she's doing a 180."

"I don't think so." Lance glanced at her. "That's her team. She's comfortable around them. But it's us she won't trust. Like how we were when the Joes first rescued us."

"I can see that."

* * *

"What happened to Trickster?" Doug Ramesy, alias Cypher looked at Mindflare.

"He avoids certain states." Mindflare shifted. "He's pretty hush-hush on his real shape, and past."

"He? You were calling him a her yesterday."

"That's because he called me using a masculine voice last night. It's easier just to call him whatever gender he turns into." He turned off the highway. "Sycamore Grove, GA, here we come." The town they drove into over an hour later was small enough not to register as important, but large enough that you didn't know everyone in it. It was a suburban paradise, with buildings left over from the fifties. "Quaint, isn't it?"

"Yeah . . . where do you live?" Cypher shifted.

"I live a bit out of town. I actually started a school for people like us, but it's small and uncredited. Mostly highschool kids." He smiled. "You can keep secrets in a small town, you just have to be careful how you do it."

"How do they . . . treat mutants?"

"Some think it's a hoax by the government, others think it's real and mutants are out to get them, and a few others don't care either way. Thankfully, it's the neutral people who are in charge. But there were –are a few problems with the KKK resurfacing to persecute known mutants. Mostly farther south and into Alabama." He smiled as he drove through town, and then went up a hill. "Mutant Plantation, here we come."

"You call it that?"

"Nope, two of the kids went to Six Flags, and went on the Monster Plantation ride, when I recruited them and told them it was on an old plantation . . . well, you can see how it turned out." They drove up the drive, and into the barn/garage. "I'll introduce you to my treasure hunting team. Then Gizmo can show you to your room."

"Gizmo?" Doug blinked.

They entered to a large entrance hall. It was an old style plantation, a breezeway with rooms off to the side, but it had gained electricity and plumbing, as well as a kitchen. There was a second floor, which had room numbers on the doors he could see.

"Oh, are you afraid of ghosts?"

"What? Not really . . ."

"Good, we got a few that won't move on, they won't bother you too much, but they get nosey. Plantation down the road is full of ghosts, too. We just have four, they have ghosts all over the place. Some will come over, from time to time." Mindflare saw him pale a bit. "Relax, they don't hurt, we just can't get an exorcist and there's only so much one can do before messing with stuff you don't understand."

"Tell him 'bout our undead friends, comrade?" A man with dark hair and Russian accent walked up.

"Ah, Cypher, I want you to meet Mikhail Rasputin, he can jump dimensions, though he got lost the last time he did it."

"Finding home dimension isn't easy, had to make a few stops, and the monkeys weren't helpful." He noticed the look. "Trust me, as insane as it sounds, it's nothing compared to what really happened."

"Mikhail, you're back!" A blonde girl raced from a room and hugged him. "Oh, whose this?"

"This is Doug Ramesey, a.k.a. Cypher. Meet Maria McPhillips. Codename Gizmo. Super reflexes, and the ability to dismantle anything electronic, including bombs and cars. She's also a kick butt driver."

"Hello, welcome to Mutant Plantation." Her southern accent thickened a bit as she smiled. "I'll take your bags while you meet the rest." She picked up his duffle and slipped off.

"If she plays a dumb blonde southern belle when asking about what you're working on, she's flirting." A voice called out from the sitting room/parlor.

"Says you, Jack." Gizmo called back from upstairs. Entering the parlor, four young men were playing poker.

"Woman, you've tricked me one too many times!"

"Who's fault is that?" Gizmo's voice had gone faint.

"Alright, this is Jack Ridge, no codename yet, we can't think of a good one." A boy with sandy brown hair and clear blue eyes winked at them, he had a track star build. "He's got strength and he's pretty fast, clocked him at a hundred miles an hour one time."

"Yeah the other few times the watch got wrecked." A guy with brown hair pulled into a low ponytail smirked. "Name's Billy or Coverfire, as I'm also called." He blew slightly and a small flick of fire escaped him. "I'm a firebreather."

"And class clown." Jack teased, ducking a pillow.

"That's Hotwire," An African American with a muscular build nodded, his hair wasn't shaved, but it also wasn't quite an afro. "Real name, John Bell. He's a technopath."

"Why Hotwire then?"

"Cause I got a juvie record for hotwiring and stealing cars."

"Yeah, his parents move here, hoping he'd stay out of trouble." Billy smirked.

"Unfortunately, he met us." Jack laughed as the fourth player called, "Oh look I win." The other card players groaned as Jack collected the pot.

"And that's Jace. Also called Alchemist, he can change matter from one thing to another . . . but he fails at it most of the time. Best he can do for know it tell us what the heck something's made of."

"Hey, I'll master it eventually." Jace looked up from the new set of cards. "Rest of the girls are in the kitchen, my sister kicked everyone else out."

"Still not allowed near the microwave, huh?"

"Okay, it was a freak accident with mine and Sally's powers. Why am I banned and she's not?"

"Because unless your Billy, you boys have no place in the kitchen." Gizmo stuck her head in. "Jack wrecked the toaster, Mikhail crash landed in there, Jace blew up the microwave, Hotwire didn't reassemble it right, so it blew up again later, and Billy hasn't caused an accident yet, and he can actually cook."

"Unlike you." Hotwire muttered. She glared at him.

"I can at least make toast and use the microwave. Who needs the stove or the oven?" She plopped next to him. "I don't. Deal me in." They left the game, Mikhail staying behind to talk.

"And now the girls . . . Anyone there? I brought the new guy."

"Right in here." The three women looked up. "Cypher, right?"

"Yes . . . Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure is ours, I'm sure." The only other blonde winked. "I'm Chastity, Jace's older sister, I'm called Oracle, cause I can see the past or future of any object I touch. Mostly future, and mostly in random bits I don't get at the time." She smiled.

"I'm Sally. Don't have a codename, but I've narrowed it down to three, which we were discussing. I can control energy, particularly light energy, and mostly in blades. Limited flight, as well." She had thick wavy brown hair, and michevious brown eyes. The third woman was in her forties, and had fairly light dark skin.

"I'm Ms. Jones. I'm the housekeeper, and I can move things with my mind." She smiled. "Unlike the kids, I don't have a codename, but some have taken to calling me 'Keeper.'"She had an English accent. "Would you like something to eat or drink, Justin, Doug? Don't touch that." Cypher's eyes widened as a can of baked beans lowered back to the counter. "Ms. Cook's getting impatient, we better start dinner." As Cypher turned back to look, the girls were joined by an invisible set of hands, and that wasn't counting the times Ms. Jones levitated something into her reach.

" We also have a healer, but she only comes up on weekends, her parents have a strict curfew. You'll meet her eventually." Mindflare smiled at Doug. "Welcome to Vertias Project."

**The whole Snake Eyes lost an apprentice thing really did happen. The circumstances were a little different than what actually happened in the comics, and yes, I am paving the way to introduce kamakura . . . using the bio I found online for him, and not the movie (he's not that bad in Sigma Six) however, there may be a bit of a rewrite for parts of his character, as well for an eventual new codename.**

**Mikhail Rasputin: Yes, this is supposed to be Colossus's brother. From what I understand, he can jump dimensions without any outside aid, and he's the older brother. I could be wrong, and he's just a teleporter that can cover larger amounts of space, but that's his bio for my story and I'm sticking to it.**

**Oracle: If someone mentions the fact DC has a character named this, I will ignore them completely. Destiny is taken, so is Foresight, and calling her Déjà vu just sounded bad, same thing with 'Seer' and this was the best I could come up with. She, Jess and Crash are the ones with similar powers I mentioned earlier. (back in Outcasts)**

**See you around!**


	11. Some Friendly Chaos

**Some Friendly Chaos**

No one paid any attention to the large black bird that flew over the streets of New York. Nor did they pay any attention to where it landed in an alley, and a stick like asian man walked out.

The mutant known as Trickster casually strolled down China town's main street. He glanced in shop windows, but he never once went in. Life was good for the mutant that could copy any life form, and could speak any known language. Dead languages he couldn't speak at all. He absently winced as a dog started barking, trying to suppress another one of his 'gifts', whether or not it stemmed from his slight mind reading abilities, or the 'known language skills' or some strange combination of both, he could understand animals really well. The collar of his shirt pulled away from his neck, revealing a small metal letter 'X' wielded to the right side if his collar bone, absently, he shrugged the shirt back to cover it, then he disappeared down another alley. It wasn't a far flight to Bayville, and maybe, just maybe, he could ask the professor for help . . . then maybe his dreams would start to become pleasant.

No one paid much attention to the bird that flew up from the alley, and only an old homeless man, mind completely gone from drugs and alcohol, saw what happened to the young man who walked in there to begin with.

"All aboard the Misfit Express! Next stop, Mayhem Station at X-men Mansion!" Althea called out to the Outcasts who were just lounging on some crates with Zarana lecturing them, Terri was off with Mutt and Junkyard. "C'mon, the adults want us gone."

"Go ahead, we'll talk about retiming a bomb later." Zarana dismissed them. "Try not to kill anyone, kid, slight injury is good enough." That was directed to Naomi.

"No promises. Quicksilver does a real good job of getting on my last nerve." Naomi then noticed Shipwreck, Lowlight, Quickstrike and Leatherneck were also there. "Thought you said the adults want us gone?"

"They have to chaperone. Well, three of them, anyway." Althea looked at her dad. "The other adults and babies will follow, maybe." Althea watched as Naomi quickly turned and caught Crash. Every once in a while, she got the feeling she saw the real, kind, girl behind the tough killer exterior that Naomi seemed determined to keep up. _Maybe she thinks she's protecting herself. But from what? No one here would dream of hurting her . . . _

_But does she know that? _Whispered a small part of her mind, right before she called out, "Grab on and let's cause some chaos!" And then they were at the X mansion.

"Don't you people ever get tired of annoying us?" Scott had a scowl on his face. "Oh look, you brought friends."

"Hey, we don't have anything better to do." Long Range shrugged. "All's quiet on the Cobra front, no urgent missions, now that we're legit . . . or some of us." The last part he muttered.

Grrr . . . Rina growled at Naomi, who just growled back.

"Girls!" Leatherneck and Logan called out.

"Hey, it's alright, let them sound each other out." Long Range waved it off. "She keeps doing this with ferals her own age." The two girls sprang at each other, knocking things over, and eventually springing back to their feet and shaking hands.

"You know, Xi and Panthera did the same thing the other day." Angelica spoke up.

"That explains why Xi's been nice to them." Todd nodded. "Uh oh, where's Pietro?"

"PIETRO!!!" Jubilee shouted from upstairs.

"And We're off . . ." Scott groaned. "Don't you have anyone else to annoy . . .poisonous reptiles for example?"

Sounds that would have been heard by the neighbors if there were any still left right next to the mansion:

"Who filled the danger room with whipcream?!"

"Get back here Swamprat!"

"Pietro, die!" "Can I help?" "Yeah, hold him down."

"MOMMY!"

"Logan, I don't care if Quickstrike challenged you, Stop having a drinking contest!"

"Pietro DIE!!"

"SHIPWRECK!" BOOOM! CLAP!! ZAP!!

"Is that a maybe?"

"Oh god, Kitty's baking again!!"

"RINA, JUBILEE, NAOMI, STOP HELPING WANDA DROWN PIETRO! YOU TOO XI!"

"You ordered **what**?!"

"Forge let loose the sentinel hamsters again!!"

"WHO LET ALTHEA NEAR THE LAUNDRY ROOM?!"

"Die, mechical hamsters from hell!"

"No, we don't need inflatable girls!! Bobby, stop the prank calls!!"

"Can I use a semi-automatic?"

"Sure, Blast the evil things!"

"TRINITY STOLE MY UNDERWEAR, AND I WAS WEARING IT!"

"Hi, I'm Rick."

"I'm Jamie, need help escaping the triplets?"

"Yes."

"Come back lover boys!!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!!"

BOOOM!!!

"Lockheed, Polly, stop chasing my cat!!!"

MRROWRR!!!

CRASH!!!

"CRASH!!!!!"

"Sorry!!"

"Die like a man!"

"ROBERTO, RAY, STOP FENCING!!"

Eventually, the chaos level toned down a bit, and Pietro now had garish yellow hair. He was sitting and crying in a cornor. (No, it wasn't blonde, it honest to goodness yellow hair. Like pastel paint yellow)

"Okay, so that amount of chaos is normal over here?" Long Range, like pretty much everyone else, was laying on the lawn, drying off from the flood Althea being near the washing machines caused.

"Yep. I think I'm getting use to it, actually." Jean blinked. "Maybe I should talk to Psyche-out?"

"That was fun." Naomi, Rina Jubilee and Wanda were sitting next to each other, grinning.

"This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship." Wanda held out her hand, and the other three girls put their hands on top. "Who knew we had so much in common?"

"Slight insanity and a dislike of Pietro really brings people together." Todd quipped. He was cuddling with Althea. "What happened to the adults?"

"Near the end they went into the professor's study, so they probably are going to get drunk. Penny, be careful with Jess!" The two young mutant girls looked up from where they were playing patty (sp?) cake. Jess had taught Penny the game.

"Well Chere, you forgive Remy yet?"

"Maybe . . . if you can tell us the story of how you know Long Range."

"Well . . . he was on the side of Belladonna for our almost marriage, but while we were getting set up, he had stepped outside . . ."

"I was bored, so I was practicing a few knife tricks, we weren't allowed to bring guns into the church." Long Range grinned. "I was deep in concentration, and showing off for his petite sisters, until they were called in, so I wasn't paying attention when Julien arrived. Next thing I know, the church is in an uproar, and Remy is shooting out of the church with a pack of assasins shortly behind him. I'd wandered a bit farther from the church by that point, and one of my older brothers yells at me to take out Remy. I was a little confused at that point, but I remembered talking to my Cousin Bella, that's Belladonna, and she said she really hoped everything went alright, cause she sorta liked the groom. Which is the close she ever got at that point to saying anything positive about a thief. And I personally had no problem with thieves, so when I threw my knife, I purposely missed by a hair, so all it did was snick his arm and some fabric."

"Yeah but anyone could have missed a moving target."

"Not at point blank range, and he wasn't moving by that point."

"Remy had crashed into him and knocked both down the hill into an overgrown part of the Bayou. When we got up, he threw the knife at Remy and pinned moi to a tree. He let Remy tear myself away and told Remy where I could find a boat in fair shape to get away. Then he covered for my escape with the first story." Remy gave a half smile. "So Gambit owe him for that."

"Only credited miss I have, but since not many people know about it." He shrugged.

"And you're human. Go figure . . ."

"Something wrong with that?"

"Nope."

"C'mon, we'd better head inside."

"Well, what do you think about Naomi, Professor?" Hawk had joined the adults.

"You're right to think she's unstable." Zarana looked at him, annoyed. "Someone has put up mental blocks and shields, from what I saw briefly, It's holding back some pretty dark things . . . and keeping her sane. Should the blocks fail, I don't think anyone can recreate what's been done, and the girl would become even more unrestrained than Sabretooth."

"That's where I'm going to disagree." Zarana spoke up. "Naomi's got a good heart, whether or not she'll admit it. She wouldn't become an out of control killer."

"Zarana, I had to talk her down from killing a scientist. I don't think she'll turn on her friends or the kids, and she's already got a rapport going between her and Sarge, but she's not exactly known for being predictable when angry. She took a swing at Crash the other day." Leatherneck saw her eyes flicker. "And it was over stuff she had ignored the day before."

"I'm not giving up on her. If we treat her like the young woman she is, not the monster we fear her to become, she'll have more of a reason to try and stay sane."

"We're not giving up on her Zarana, but it might be best to be prepared for the worst."

"Hank and I can talk to the kid, we know what it's like to have an animal inside your mind." Logan volunteered. "And if you can find out for sure, without a doubt that she was experimented on by Cobra, I'd recommend Low Light talking to her. Similar experiences, and what not." A chorus of arguing stopped the conversation.

"That'll do for now." Hawk left, and the adults went to coral their children for the day.

"What's up Storm Shadow?" Hawk moved down the hall to his office.

"Snake Eyes is back. Apparently came in yesterday morning, but wasn't able to report in with that conference you had."

"I need to see both him and the kid, later."

"Would you consent to eating in your office? The kid's not that comfortable in crowds, And he doesn't know that many people here, just Jinx, Scarlett, Snake Eyes and myself."

"Alright, but he's going to have to get use to having people around again . . ."

"He will . . . Just introducing him to the Misfits would be a chore. They're a bit over the top." The two stepped into Hawk's office.

"He might get assigned to the Outcasts, Storm Shadow." Hawk sat down, "Just to keep things even power wise between the teams."

" . . . I don't think the Outcast leader is entirely stable." The ninja stayed standing and crossed his arms. "If she was experimented by cobra, and if she is one of the twelve mutant army, then she could easily be a sleeper agent." Hawk kept his face neutral. He had a feeling he was going to hear this argument for a while, until Panthera proved which way she'd go.

"If she was, she's doing a hell of a job at it. Killing scientists-"

"Easily ones that are no longer useful."

"Blowing up bases, killing personel . . . and creating a team."

"You don't think she's a threat."

"Not to us. She would have been in the cell with Wetsuit and Leatherneck, or in a lab that we raided, she would have been more submissive to us, playing a scared girl, or even have amnesia. She'd have given us false information." Hawk sighed. "I already taken that into account when I made the offer," He passed a file over. "The girl takes care of her own, Thomas. As unstable as she is, somehow she knows that a pack will keep her safe . . . I think we can expand on that instinct, She's already proven she'll listen to Sarge, or any other adult with some power behind them . . . but we have to play carefully. We don't know what her buttons are, though Quicksilver is a definite one."

"You've already made up your mind to put him with the outcasts, haven't you?"

"Eventually, when everyone's settled and somewhat comfortable with each other." Hawk took back the file. "But if he feels more at home with the misfits, then I'll change my mind."

" . . ." Storm Shadow was quiet for a minute.

"Besides, the same thing could have been said of you or Xi, when you both came."

"I know, General."

"Now, let's move onto other things . . . how long do you need for leave?"

"Is Pietro still crying about his hair?" Althea looked at Wanda as the two stayed in the mess line. The 'budget' that the Misfits got had been wrecked thanks to Shipwreck, Quicksilver, an all night bar and monkeys. So that meant until the damages and everything else were taken care of, they were joining everyone else for meals.

"Yep. But with his metabolism, we're pretty sure it'll be back to his normal color soon . . . Trinity's working on a formula to turn our hair back to normal." Wanda shrugged.

"You were pretty nice to Naomi today, what changed your mind?"

"After we died Pietro's hair, we got to talking. Well, I gues, it was more Xi, Rina, Myself and Jubilee talking, but . . . you know the saying the eyes are the windows to the soul?" Althea nodded as she snagged an apple. "Something softened in her eyes . . . Like she was sympathizing with us. She didn't open up, but . . ."

"You think there's some good in her?"

"I think she's just angry . . . at who, I don't know, but she takes it out on everyone . . . like I use to, when I let my powers go haywire everytime I got mad." Wanda shrugged. "We both know people deal differently . . ."

"So, I take that with my idea of her trying to protect herself . . . what do we get?"

"Someone who's in emotional chaos and doesn't know what to feel. Or is trying not to feel." Althea glanced up as the outcasts entered. Naomi seemed to notice and looked up at her for a moment. "You should try talking to her . . . surprisingly, she's rather polite."

"Got nothing to lose, I guess . . ."

"Hello, Snake Eyes, Jinx . . ."

"Kamakura, for now, Hawk." Jinx introduced the boy. Despite wearing a mask with eye holes, Hawk could tell he was rather nervous, and jerked a bit when Storm Shadow closed the door behind them.

_He's gun shy . . . _"Kamakura, sit down." Hawk sat back at his desk. "Now . . ."

"Hey, Panthera, can I talk with you for a bit?" Althea watched as subtely, the muscles in her shoulders tensed. "Don't want to do anything other than talk, I promise." The two headed into beachead's office. The ranger had rarely used it, so it was still pretty bare in design. "Look, I realize that you and I are both in control of two different teams, which means if something happens, we're going to be the ones talking. I'd rather be friends than enemies . . . so can we please try to get along?"

"Don't." Naomi crossed her arms.

"Excuse me?" Althea felt frustrated.

"Don't talk down to me."

"I'm not- " Althea stopped, as she realized that the way she had worded her speech had sounded like she'd done exactly that. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were sensitive."

"I'm not. But if you want to be friends, then talking down to me isn't going to help."

"Noted, like I said, we're going to have to work together, and I'd like to know who I'm working with." Althea watched as Naomi tilted her head a bit. "I'm not trying to trap you into anything, I promise."

"That's not what worries me." Naomi leaned against the wall.

"Then what is it?"

" . . . I'm well aware I have a temper, I also know I can't predict how well I'll act in a situation, or how I might turn out." Naomi glanced away. "You want me to be honest, I've been in situations where it's been me or a group, and I've almost always chosen myself. I don't feel guilty about that, I like surviving. What I don't like is being put into the positions in the first place. So before you start the 'working together' jazz, let me say this, if it comes down to it, my only concern is my own pack. I'll work with you if I have to, and I can be polite about it, when I want to."

"That's fine, I'd probably do the same thing." _She's thought about it. She's smart . . . I wonder how smart? And why the hell does she make that sound like a warning against being her friend?_ "Now, how about we have some girl talk . . ."

"Well, Chuck?" Logan watched as Xavier came out of Cerebro.

"She's gone, Logan. I don't know how or where, but she's gone." Xavier sighed. "This is the second one in a couple months . . . something's happening."

"They could have been gone long before now, Chuck. You only get sporadic contact. And it's not like there wasn't potential for them to die on the jobs."

"With all the crisis happening lately . . . I should have paid more attention when they didn't call in."

"You're not a god, Chuck . . . we should focus on the kids and adults we have . . . we can hunt whoever offed them later."

"You're right . . . I only hope that this doesn't come back to haunt us."

Outside the institute, a bird's heart hammered in its chest. _Oh, hell, she did make it out . . . She'll kill me!! I can't go to the institute now . . . I should have gone with Mindflare . . ._

**Some foreshadowing . . . and The outcasts slowly worm their way into the heart of chaos that comes with the misfits. And Remy's third person is awful. (I have trouble remembering that he does it, accents are also a problem . . . I've had practice with Kurt's though, one of my first evolution stories was about him . . . not the one I posted, Baby Mine, but one that I didn't.)**

**Read and review, I actually have both this story and the sequel outlined. Now as long as my plans don't deviate, we should see the end of this story at about fifty or so chapters . . . give or take a few that may just become outtakes.**


	12. A normal day

**A normal day**

"Morning." Leatherneck watched as Zarana muttered a reply before heading over to the kettle. "Not a morning person, are you?"

"Oh, I like them just fine." She sighed. "I just didn't sleep well last night, Jess had a nightmare, and then Rick got scared when he couldn't find her." She sat down in a chair. "What's happening today?"

"Wetsuit and I are taking the kids shoping, Mutt and Shipwreck have arranged a playdate so Terri can meet Claudius and Beak, Quickstrike's going to hang out with Alpine at the climbing wall, and You're going to go check on your brother." He leaned back, "Then we have to finish the living room and this kitchen, and eventually start looking for furniture. Kids aren't complaing about the sleeping bags though."

"They've gotten use to living on the road. They're more like miniature adults, especially Panthera."

"What about me?" Panthera walked in, barely breathing hard.

"Talking about how you all get along."

"Hmph, Crash tries to sing that song again, we're going to be one Outcast short." Panthera growled a bit as she walked over to the mini fridge. She snagged a banana from the counter. "Who keeps putting the peanut butter in the Fridge?"

"We think it's Crash." Leatherneck watched as she made some toast, put the peanut butter on it, and then slices of banana. "You've got some strange tastes kid."

"Eh, used to put honey on it too." She sat down, munching on it.

"I take it table manners weren't enforced in your home." Leatherneck looked at her.

"They were. I just drew the line at sing a fork and knife for pizza." She got up and grabbed a paper towel to use for a napkin. "Do I have to go to the mall?"

"Oh, about that, who's the female chaperone?" Zarana blinked, tea starting to help.

"Jinx, she wants to take the new ninja shopping for some civilian clothes. He's shadowing us for the day." He looked at Panthera.

"Sounds like it's going to be interesting." Zarana turned her attention to Panthera. "And you need more than just two pairs of jeans, five tank tops, and a beaten up short leather jacket."

"I hate malls." She growled as she finished eating. "Too open."

"I'd say no one's going to shoot at you, but there's always the possibility." Zarana sighed. "Try to have fun."

"Do we have to go?" Crash groaned as they lined up outside of the van. Panthera looked at him, then shrugged.

"If I'm going, you're going." Leatherneck looked at him.

"Hey, sorry we're late, had to convince him to wear civilian clothes out." Jinx came up wearing a Red shirt and jeans. Behind her, Kamakura looked uncomfortable in slightly baggy jeans and a brown T shirt. He had a jacket and a hat on as well. "Kamakura, meet Techno, Marina, Crash, Long Range and Panthera."

"We've met." Panthera gave a half nod to him. "The kids hiding behind Leatherneck and Wetsuit are Rick and Jess."

"Hello again, Pleasure to meet the rest of you." He shifted uneasily.

"Wait, how'd you two meet?"

"This morning, on my way back from drilling with Sarge." She gave a wry smile. "We collided."

"Sensei had sent me back to the dojo to get some things." Kamakura added. "I didn't notice her."

"Don't worry so much, she's real silent on her feet. Even I have trouble hearing her." Wetsuit offered.

"That's because you have water in your ears."

"Hey! At least my head has something in it."

"Here we go again." Panthera leaned against the van.

"I thought they were doing better than that." Jinx sighed as the two started to shake their fists.

"That's enough you two!" Zarana got in between them and pushed them back. "You're worse than the kids. Now hurry up before Falcon comes along and invites himself."

"Let's go kids!" Jinx all but threw Kamakura into the van. "Quickquickquick!" She also shoved Wetsuit in the back (he was wearing his blues instead of his normal wetsuit. Like what he wore when he and Lifeline went after the poison to get an antidote for Leatherneck). Leatherneck got the passenger seat, and then she paused to look at Zarana. "He's still a little sore about you using him, by the way."

"Well, if he didn't flirt with everything in a skirt, he wouldn't get used like that." She crossed her arms.

"True. Ladies poker night tonight, would you like to come?" She got in and closed the door, the window was still open.

"As long as I'm invited." Jinx smiled a bit.

"Don't worry, I'll watch your back." She started the engine as a fight broke out in the back of the van.

Zarana watched as the van pulled out of the base, then she headed towards the infirmary. She ignored a few of the looks that a few joes threw at her, she sure hadn't expected to get accepted right away, and promptly ran into General Hawk and Mainframe. "Oh, Sorry."

"It's fine, I take it you're going to see Zandar?"

"Yes, Mutt's taking Terri over to meet Shipwreck's two kids, and Leatherneck and Jinx are chaperoning a trip to the mall for the older kids." She shifted, "Is there something you need?"

"I was hoping you and Mainframe would work on updating our intel on Cobra. Preferably somewhere no one would walk in on you." Hawk noted the surprise that melted a bit when she glanced at Mainframe.

"Of course, after I check in with my brother alright?"

"That's fine. I wanted to find out what was wrong with him as well." Hawk moved so Mainframe was between him and Zarana. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was keeping Zarana at an arm's length, but then again, no one else really knew about Mainframe and Zarana. "What have you got on Zandar?"

"Hawk, ah, Zarana, Mainframe." Lifeline jerked with a start from updating his med files. "Well, it's nothing good, I'm afraid." Lifeline either didn't notice or chose not to comment when Zarana's hand absently went and grabbed on to Mainframe's. "You see . . ."

"All four of his girls get hormone crazy . . . even if beak is adopted, insanity can be catching . . ." Mutt grumbled under his breath.

"Oh, hey Mutt, Come on in." Covergirl opened the door. "Kids went off to annoy the X men for the day, Bareny and Lil' C are in the living room."

"Shipwreck's with the kids?"

"We're not sure. He disappeared, but according to the teleportation device he's in Bora Bora. Or was. There's been a few glitches with the system lately." Covergirl shrugged. "If he's not back in three days, he's either drunk or in trouble and the girls will have to get him." The two entered the living room turned baby play area. Low Light glanced up from the couch where Lil' C and Beak were using him as a cushion to sit on. He had a slight facial tick, even as they watched the older version with the cookie monster that actually eats cookies.

"You got stuck with baby duty?" Mutt raised an eyebrow.

"Covergirl volunteered me." He glanced at the screen. The credits were finally rolling. "I've seen this episode before." Mutt chose not to comment. "Alright, that's enough T.V." He turned it off, and set the babies on the floor.

"I'll leave you two with the kids." Covergirl disappeared. Mutt looked over at Low Light.

"What did you do to tick her off?"

"I lost control of my powers yesterday. Made a mess in the bathroom . . . including destroying part of the cabinet under the sink." He winced. "She's on her cycle."

"Ah. I don't want to know anymore than that." Mutt placed Terri down. "Terri, this is Claudius and Barney."

Both boys looked at the little girl, Beak clacked his little beak, while Lil' C waved a flipper. Terri just tilted her head and cocked her ears, before Lil' C crawled over to her. At some point, the three decided to be friends, and moved towards the building blocks.

"Relax Mutt, they'll cry if they need help." Low Light sat back on the couch.

"They're Shipwreck's kids, I'm a little more worried about other things."

"They're also babies, they don't have a sex drive yet. When the boys turn twelve, then you start worrying." Low Light looked at him. "Besides, looks like Terri already knows to get her point across." Mutt glanced back at the kids. At one point, the three must've decided to play rough. Beak had bit Terri's tail, which she responded by growling and despite the cast, tackling him. Lil' C decided to help out his brother, but Terri was still growling. The three wound up in a mini brawl, which ended when Terri snapped at Lil' C and sat on Barney before he could get his bat.

"None of them are hurt." Low Light stopped Mutt from getting up. "See? They're friends again." They were playing with blocks again, as if the brawl never happened. "Want to watch the game?"

"Okay, boys, get what you need and we'll meet in the food court for lunch." Jinx smiled. "Girls and I are going to shop." Leatherneck glanced at the mall, then helped crash walk to the entrance. "Alright, where too first?"

"Beats me. I'm no mall rat." Naomi glanced at the mall with a scowl. "Couldn't we have gone to a Walmart or something?"

"Wow . . . it's huge." Marina stared in awe.

"I'd recommend Gap or Old Navy, then move on to accessories, which would be either Claire's or another small shop like that." Techno wore a glove to hide her hand, as well as sunglasses. "That way we can get everyone done."

Despite Panthera's protests, Jinx managed to get her several more jeans and pants, a few skirts, blouses and several shirts. She even managed to find a shirt that had one long sleeve and one short sleeve for Techno. Shopping went well, and then they met the guys at the food court. Wetsuit had a split lip and Leatherneck had a blackening eye. Apparently a couple of punks had started trouble and tried to beat up a security guard. Only reason Wetsuit's lip had gotten split was the one who punched him had on a ring with a spikey design. Kamakura and Long Range had ended the fight with well timed hits to pressure points.

"I'm telling you, Jet Li would beat Jackie Chan in a fair fight." Apparently, the boys (sans Rick, who had no idea what the three older boys were talking about) had managed to get Kamakura to open up, and were having a movie martial arts debate.

"Please, give me a break, Jackie Chan could beat him easily." Long Range looked annoyed.

"What about Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris?"

"Not a chance." Long Range and Kamakura then went right back to arguing. Crash occasionally throwing out names of other martial artists he knew, and was promptly dismissed.

"Hey, didn't those two star in a movie recently . . . Lost Kingdom, right?" Naomi glanced at them and Techno.

"I think it was Forgotten Kingdom." The topic then strayed to movies. And for a few moments, they were all in a nice little bubble of normal life.

"Alright, last minute shopping anyone?" Jinx shifted her bags to one hand.

"Just curious, where can I find the clothing article Wetsuit is named for?" Marina spoke up.

"In a Diving and scuba shop. There's none in the mall."

"Oh, okay." Marina looked a little put out.

"If that's it, then last time using the bathroom before we get home."

Naomi leaned against the wall outside the bathrooms, pretty much everyone else seemed to have decided to go.

"Hello Animal." She jerked up, whirling on Gloom. "You know, I never realized how much you hate being cooped up . . . it must be driving you crazy, with having to stay with these people."

"What are you doing here?" Panthera kept a low growl in her throat.

"Shopping, same as you." Gloom smirked. "They think they're taming you, you know. Making you less of the animal you really are . . . I should know, I watched you claw apart viper after viper . . . and you enjoyed every minute of it."

"Then you're making a mistake." Panthera slammed her into the wall. "Because I also have no problem killing you, Gloom." Her grip tightened on Gloom's throat as the girl struggled. "You can find me, I can find you. You won't die today, traitor."

"Oh?" Gloom turned even blacker, if that was possible, phasing out of her grip. "You forget, my gifts, if words cannot persuade you- Nn!" Gloom winced as she suddenly found a solid concrete type wall blocking Panthera's mind. "How are you blocking me?!"

"I was made to be hard to find, Gloom." Panthera growled. "Stay out of my head."

" . . ." Gloom almost gaped in confusion, a moment before she smiled, rather cruelly. "Well, you might be a hard nut to crack, but I imagine _Ten_ might be easier . . . re-training her will be a lot more fun . . . . At least she _screams_." Panthera clenched a fist. "I'm sure you remember that . . . _Twelve_ was much the same way. Especially when McDougal worked on them."

"You don't have Ten, do you?" Panthera smirked. "You can't find Ten anywhere."

"Oh, we'll find her. Twelve wants a chance at hurting you, since you abandoned it, the poor clone." Gloom smirked. "And to think, we really can't hurt you, that damn little trick Moreau installed makes sure of that." She glanced at the restrooms. "But them, we can hurt them . . ."

" . . ." Panthera ignored the unpleasant sensation in her stomach. Then she noticed that a woman coming around the corner was frozen still. "So, you and Stopwatch have something going?" Gloom glanced behind herself and scowled. "That's how you attacked the X men. You stopped time around that mansion."

"Clever aren't you?"

"Oh, I have my moments." Gloom suddenly fell back from a slash to her face, almost taking out her eye. "They never broke me completely, Gloom. I might not be able to kill you, but I can hurt you."

" . . . Never knew you were left handed, _Four_." Gloom spat at her, and then disappeared through a dark portal just as time resumed it's pace. Panthera felt a little relieved as first Jinx and the girls emerged, then the guys. If anyone noticed that Panthera had stopped participating in the discussions, they never brought it up.

_Why did I make a pack? I just brought them into danger. _She stared out the window, ignoring her team. _Ten . . . that jerk is still alive out there . . . What am I going to do?_

_Talk to someone . . . _She ignored the sensible suggestion, and just returned back to her original goal, ignore the anomalies, and maybe they won't capture and kill you.

"Cobra la spores?" Zarana repeated. Still in shock.

"Apparently they wanted to see whether or not being turned into a snake would be a universal occurrence." Lifeline sighed. "Zandar just got a light dosage of the spores, but the other chemicals in his body are forcing him to mutate more. With Cobra Comander, he mutated within a space of a few days. But with the low dosage and then the other chemicals . . . Zandar might mutate even further, until either the spores stop multiplying or the process is complete, still working on a timeline."

"Any idea what he's changing into?"

"Not yet, something with fur and claws though." He sighed. "I'll get you more information as it comes, all I can do now is try to lessen the pain and stop the seizures from being so bad." He noticed Zarana's downcast look. "I'm sorry."

"You're doing your best, I'll be okay." Zarana took a breath. "I'm going to have to tell Panthera about this."

"That's another thing . . . do you know anything that might help us with her?"

"You mean find her family? No. She's only ever given me aliases, and all of them turn up blank when I search. She's a little paranoid of being found out. From what I know, vipers captured her a block from her home. My best guess is she's scared of going back to a place that Cobra knows she's been, and she's scared her family will be in jeopardy if she returns."

"It's a better guess than we've got."

Nick Fury scowled as he walked up to the front door of the plantation house. He was already having a bad day, Thor and Stark had gotten drunk again, Cap and Hawkeye had apparently gotten into an argument . . . he was starting to regret Project Avenger.

"Hello, Fury, have a nice Drive?" Mindflare opened the door.

"Cut the comedy, Richardson. You and Jones may be on Sheild's payroll, but it doesn't give you permission to start a treasure hunt." The two moved into the study. "You better be willing to explain this one."

"X men have the Phoenix, Fury, I have some interesting reports that claim a certain Arashikage ninja may have the Destiny stone." He rolled a shoulder. "The treasure hunt is more a hunt for balance than anything. Not only do the weapons I'm looking for guard the two powers, they're also a way to keep the powers from becoming unstable."

"Misfits have a new sub group, the Outcasts." Fury pulled out the file. "Only one mutant. She's pretty dangerous, half a dozen aliases frequently called Panthera or the Wildcat."

"Oh? That's interesting." Mindflare looked at the file and wrote something down. "You're restricting me and my team from leaving the country?"

"Up until Vertias Project can get some heavy hitters. And that includes leaving this dimension, Mindflare."

"Fair enough. Then you won't object to me sending the other teams on a little quest." Mindflare smiled.

"Mindflare, Your team can not go public. You and Jones are my best operatives dealing with the unknown, Rasputin just behind, the fact you're pulling in kids still in highschool, or with criminal records . . ."

"I can always make that disappear, Fury. Hotwire and Gizmo are both very good at what they do." He smirked. "Really, have a little faith, things may go wrong from time to time, but it will all work out. Eventually."

"We've got potential alien invasions from Skrulls, Kree and lord knows who else, Mindflare. Not to mention a few different dimensions wanting to break barriers so they can expand."

"Oh, so we're going to deal with the dimensional threats?"

"Eventually. You'll probably get support from the outcasts." Fury scowled. "Technically, none of them exist."

"You're displeased?"

"What's the world coming too if children are fighting wars. Almost every night, I have to think about the problems going on, and that question keeps popping up." Fury sighed. "And no matter what I do, Shield keeps becoming part of political agendas."

"Take it off the grid then, Fury. Disappear. Maybe then you won't have to keep choosing between duty and friends."

"Not when I still have to worry about the earth as a whole, Mindflare."

"Then you'll keep having a headache, Fury." Mindflare finished putting two files together. "Deliver one to G.I. Joe, and the other to the X men, since you're going to be heading up there."

"If I remember correctly, I'm your superior officer, Richardson."

"Maybe, but you're the one who doesn't want me to be intimately revealed. Both Frost and Xavier only know me as Mindflare. Even though they've worked with me plenty."

"Plastic surgery helps I'm sure." Fury sighed. "I'm also going to need you to tell me about Cypher, later."

"Of Course." Mindflare nodded. "Thanks for coming by, Fury."

"Thanks for listening." Fury nodded. Then he teleported back to Shield.

"The world would be so much better without the complications, wouldn't it?" Mindflare sighed.

**Wow, 12 chapters already. This one shot out there pretty quick. I needed a transition chapter, as well as one that had Kamakura sorta introduced into the Outcasts, still not sure if he's really going to run with them or not.**

**Read and Review, please!**


	13. Trip to sahara

**Trip to Sahara**

"Okay, remind me again, why are we doing this?" Marina looked out from under a hood. The sun was glaring off of the sand, and the result was even more heat and chance for sunburn.

"Because there's a cobra base with connections to project thirteen and maybe we'll get the location of the real lab." Panthera just ignored the heat, though she was wearing sunglasses. She was also wearing mostly black.

"Have I mentioned how annoying your planet is? Too cold places, too hot places, over populated, under populated . . ."

"Is she always like this?" Kamakura looked up from where he was next to Snake Eyes.

"Nope. But I can't say I blame her." Long Range just scowled. "She's an underwater girl, hot desert sand really doesn't suit her."

"Considering we're looking for an oasis in the middle of a desert? She'll be good once we get there." Leatherneck shook his head. "What are you doing, kid?"

"Looking for a pot of gold, what does it look like?" Panthera looked up, annoyed. She'd uncovered a slightly rounded black slab in the sand. "I kicked it on the way down. Range."

"Access tunnel all right. Odd numbers are doors, 64." He started mumbling under his breath as the others started digging, pretty soon they had a section of a large pipe. "What are you doing?" Panthera was recovering the pipe.

"If there are doors, they have an alarm. Pipe probably has alarms all down it." She got up. "Not to mention probes."

"Got a better way in?"

"Nope. That's why I'm doing this." She studied the pipe, "Hey, Kamakura, need a throwing star."

"Shuriken."

"I really don't care what it's called." Panthera knelt next to the pipe. "Idiots screwed this on the outside."

"You're going to get yourself electrocuted again." Marina muttered.

"I'm well aware of that . . . wish Techno wasn't so bothered by the sand, she's better at this." That was followed by a muffled curse.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Leatherneck was aware of Snake Eyes stepping forward as well. She moved back showing a small circuit board. There were only two circuits, and she very calmly pulled them so they were almost out of their outlets. There was also blood in the sand.

"You cut yourself, didn't you?" Long Range sighed.

"At least she didn't electrocute herself."

"Shut up. That'll glitch the system for a bit. Let's go." She passed the weapon back to Kamakura. "Thanks for the loan."

"I stepped in something." Marina muttered moments later in the tunnel.

"You're just a barrel of sunshine aren't you?" Long Range looked at her.

"Knock it off you two." Panthera absently growled.

"Is it always like this on missions?" Kamakura looked at Leatherneck.

"I haven't a clue. Probe." Leatherneck moved to the side, Panthera glanced at the camera on wheels. Long Range took front this time, disabling the device.

"Should be another twenty feet." Kamakura translated for Snake Eyes.

"Then let's go."

It took several minutes to get inside and get down a hallway.

"There's a problem." Leatherneck frowned as he glanced into a room.

"What?"

"Labs been cleaned out. Spotless."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Not in bases like these. Either this base is really active, or they had the opportunity to get all their stuff and just left a skeleton crew." Panthera checked the next hall. "Which means any lab rats were killed before they moved out."

"We've mentioned you should work on tact, right?" Leatherneck sighed.

"Yep."

"You're ignoring us."

"Nope. Just don't feel like it."

Snake Eyes made a 'keep going' motion. They continued on, up until they found a dead viper. It had clearly been mauled.

"Okay, I didn't do this." Panthera watched as Snake Eyes knelt down and examine the body. "What's he signing now?"

"He says it's a recent death. Real recent."

"As in the killer is just down the hall recent, or the killer moved on to chase other victims, recent?"

"Probably the latter."

"Or it's the former, Long Range, get down!" The assassin dove out of the way as a large . . . spider monster dropped down. "I hate spiders!"

"It has nine legs, not eight, it's not a spider." Panthera corrected. "I couldn't even smell it!"

"Damn, it's bigger than the one in the third Lord of the Rings!" Long Range struggled up. The spider hissed revealing very sharp teeth and two over large fangs. Panthera froze for a moment.

_-Had to save Twelve, poisonfangs blocked the hallway . . . creatures lunged, a large one, the mother of the creatures, rearing up . . . pain, then running.-_

"Don't let it bite you, the fangs are poison! One bite and you're dead!" She dove back as a sharp leg almost speared her.

"You've fought one?!"

"Aim for the joints, damn things can't take the hits." She ignored Leatherneck. Instead she brought up her handgun. She couldn't afford to get close again. Snake Eyes dodged and went under the creature, hitting the back three legs and cutting them off. Even with that, the thing still moved like lightning.

"It's quick!"

"Noted, Ninja boy, watch it!" Panthera jumped up, digging her claws into the wall and scaling it pretty quick. She glanced back for a minute, and then dropped onto the things back.

"What are you doing?" Panthera ignored the shout and put the handgun where she guessed the things brains were. Two shots later, and it had thrown her off. She hit, rolled, and tried to get up.

"Nn!!" The legs scrapped her own as it tried to turn and attack her. She lashed out and sliced through it. From across the way, she saw Kamakura take out one leg, and Long Range used a machete on another. Leatherneck fired at the creature. Either the blood loss or the bullets finally got to the thing and it fell down.

"I'm going to feel that for a while . . ." A black gloved hand appeared in her vision, and she let Snake Eyes help her up. "Thanks." He nodded.

"Everyone in one piece?"

"For now. There aren't more of those things are there?"

"Depends if the bred it. More than likely not."

"And if it did?"

"We're in some deep Sh-Stuff."

"Ninja boy?"

"First thing that popped into my head alright?" She growled, "We need to keep moving."

"Shouldn't those creatures be more . . . locked up?" Long Range frowned.

"Yes, and the fact they aren't means either someone let them loose, or there's a containment failure of some kind."

"Which do we want to hope for?"

"Someone let them out. They'll be easier to deal with." She glanced at Marina, who was scowling. "Glad you came?"

"Oh, yes." Sarcasm was one of the few principles of communication she had down pat. "Have I mentioned how much I love this planet?"

"Yes, every time you read a comic book." Panthera let Snake Eyes and Leatherneck take point. "Oh, look, it's the orange one." An octopus looking thing colored bright orange raced by, chasing a viper. "Mindbender's in the Pacific!" She called out. "Base 10255!" The creature barely acknowledged her. "What?" She noted the looks. "She's nice."

"And you didn't tell us Mindbender's location because?"

"That was the location about a month before we joined up. He changes every few months." She shrugged. "And no one asked."

"Let me guess, she let out that thing?"

"Probably."

"&&&&!" Marina exclaimed.

"I think we just hit what they were doing- Kamakura?" The younger ninja was turned away. Long Range couldn't quite blame him. The bodies in the lab were definitely dead. The smell gave it away.

"I think you might've been justified with trying to kill that scientist." Leatherneck winced. Panthera just looked at him with a raised eyebrow before inserting a USB drive into the computer. Either the smell didn't bother her, or she was very good at ignoring it. Snake Eyes watched what she was doing over her shoulder. As she typed away, he would occasionally point something out on the screen. Moments later, she pulled out the drive, and they moved to get out. Unforutnately, whoever was in the surveillance room was actually paying attention this time. The alarms sounded.

"And this is why I like it when we have Techno." Panthera muttered and took off at a run. "Same way we came in, or do we steal some vehicles?"

"Same way we came in. They'll try to block us otherwise." Leatherneck picked up the pace. Rounding the corner, They almost crashed into the vipers. This time, the only one that froze up was Kamakura.

-Round the corner into vipers, shots firing, she's yelling-

"Move!" Someone tackled him out of the way as more vipers arrived. The impact slammed the air out of him.

"Panthera!" Kamakura gasped the instant he got oxygen back into his lungs.

"Who were you expecting, Wonder Woman? Get your rear in gear before you get killed." She snapped at him as she got up. A moment later, some Cobra soldiers went down hard. "Ninja boy, move!!" He obeyed, "Your left!" A few moments later, he came out of automatic, there were dead vipers behind them. He didn't pause to think about it as his sensei came up, and the group ran to the exit.

* * *

"You okay, Amigo?" Long Range looked at him while they were waiting for the chopper.

"Yeah . . . I will be." Panthera and Marina were talking. "I think I made her mad, though."

"Who? Panthera?" Long Range looked at her. "What gives you that impression?"

"Other than the fact she ignored me a few minutes ago, not much."

"Oh, that. I don't think she's mad at you. She'd have growled or something." Kamakura looked at him. "Trust me, hombre, she's not mad at you. Might be frustrated with you for freezing up, but not mad. If you're too chicken to try talking to her today, try tomorrow." He then grinned. "Now, who do think would win, Barney or Big Bird?"

"You're bored after all that?"

"Crash asked me this last night, and I want to share the pain. My money's on Big Bird."

"Barney is a dinosaur, he'd probably have Big Bird for dinner and leftovers."

"I'm not even going to ask." Leatherneck muttered as Snake Eyes just shrugged. "If Crash brought it up, especially."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Kamakura walked away from the Misfit Manor, absently trying to pick out whatever food was left over from the food fight. 'Chaos' was a good word for what went on over there. Especially after the visit to the X men.

"Oomph!" He collided with someone.

"Oh, it's you again." Panthera gave a soft growl. "Why do I keep running into you?"

"I don't know." She turned to walk away. "Wait, Panthera? About when I froze up yesterday . . ."

"What about it?"

"I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to, I just,"

"Did? It's okay. I'd frozen up earlier, anyway." She waved it off. Honestly, Panthera hadn't thought much about it. If he had turn tail and run, _then_ she would've had some problems.

"You did? When?"

"When the Spider thing appeared. I'd fought one before. Lost, badly."

"I never noticed."

"Wasn't for very long. You have anything planned right now?"

"No, why?"

"Movie night, if you want to join us." She smiled. "We've got popcorn."

"Magic word, right there." He followed her. "What movie?"

* * *

Snake Eyes was slightly concerned when Kamakura didn't arrive on time. A quick recon later, and he found him with the Outcasts, catching Rick as he jumped and glided a bit, shouting "To infinity and beyond!"

"Marina, your turn to put them in bed." Panthera sounded amused.

"I'll help her." Techno picked up Jess. "Say goodnight."

"Night!!" Jess waved as she was carried up the stairs.

"Race you Rick!" Marina and Rick ran up after them, Marina allowing Rick to beat her.

"That was fun, thanks for inviting me." Panthera just smiled at Kamakura.

"No sweat. Your pick up is here, by the way." She walked him to the door. "It's a standing offer, by the way. If we don't have missions, we'll probably have a movie night."

"All of them G rated?"

"Hey, we have kids to take care of." She kept her amused look. "Besides, they've already been through hell. This is the closest to normal we can get on an average day."

"Been through hell?"

"We rescued them from the same lab as Zandar. They were there when he got there, and there's really no telling how long they were in there." Her smile faded a bit. "The rest of us haven't had great lives either, so it's just a relaxing thing now."

"They enjoy the double features?"

"Yep, well, all except for the time we watched Bambi and Lion King back to back. Crash is still in the doghouse. Oh, and that Chocolate factory movie. That scared Jess real bad." She shrugged.

"Which version?"

"The one with Gene Wilder. But after that, none of us are in a hurry to see if Johnny Depp's version was any better."

"You didn't like it either I take it?"

"Nope. Didn't like it the first time I watched it, definitely didn't like it the second time." She shrugged. "I don't think any of us did."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Movie night invitation is open to you as well, Snake Eyes." Snake Eyes just nodded. The door closed behind them and they started walking back to the Dojo.

'Have fun?' Snake Eyes signed.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to take her up on the offer, if that's okay." Snake Eyes nodded.

'How did you like the Misfits?'

"They're okay, Althea's nice, they all kinda are, but they're a bit . . . over the top sometimes." He shrugged. "Pietro probably makes enemies faster than he makes friends."

'So which team would you join, if you had a choice?'

"Outcasts . . . while the Misfits have ninjas, they're all more suited to out and out fighting. Outcasts don't draw as much attention to themselves if they can help it." Snake Eyes nodded. He was going to have to talk with Hawk later.

**Grr . . . I had trouble with the flow of the chapter, partially because the next chapter sets a few things in motion, but I couldn't just jump into it. The misfits, like the X men, can probably sneak into places, but all in all, their powers are more suited for large scale destruction. I wanted to make a team that's primary ability was stealth and sabotage. Destruction only happening if they can't avoid it. Outcasts are probably going to be the team that gets in and out of situations before anyone realizes it, sort of a special ops form of the Misfits.**

**I don't think I realized it until just now, but with Zandar potentially in the hospital for a long time, Snake Eyes kinda stepped up to fill that hole in the adults. I really didn't plan on that happening. Though I should've realized it when I opted to write in Kamakura . . . Well, we'll see how it goes, I'll try and trade him with Mainframe eventually. **


	14. Nightmares

**Nightmares**

It had been a few weeks since the Outcasts had arrived. Lifeline and Psyche out were talking in the infirmary with Low Light (Who'd gotten knocked out in a prank war crossfire, Pietro and Wanda were both on KP duty for a week.) when leatherneck walked in, holding a bloody rag to the left side of his face.

"What happened?" Lifeline pulled the rag away, revealing three bloody lines.

"Panthera clawed you?"

"It was an accident . . . Lifeline, can you heal this without any scars?"

"Yes, let me clean it up, first."

"An accident?" Psyche Out blinked. "I've heard that she's unstable."

"She's not."

"Oh? Why'd she claw you?" Low Light spoke up.

"She was having a nightmare." Leatherneck looked at him. "I'm sure you've had a few where you wake up swinging."

"What was it about, do you know?"

"No." He winced as Lifeline cleaned it out. "She wouldn't talk to me."

"Probably trying to repress it."

"No, she wouldn't talk to me, Psyche Out. She flinched away when I tried to touch her shoulder, and she wouldn't make eye contact, like she was afraid I'd beat her." He sighed. "Lifeline, do you know what it would take for a mutant who can heal from all sorts of wounds, to have a wound that leaves a scar?"

"Why?"

"Because she's got a bunch on her right arm and some on her back." Leatherneck rubbed the side of his face. "Most are silver and raised, quite a few are faded, but there are a few deep ones."

"Sorry Zandar, did we wake you?" Zandar had an even worse seizure the day before.

"No . . . Who has scars?"

"Naomi." Zandar blinked.

"I've never seen any on her . . . but she's never taken her jacket off." He shrugged. "She's usually the last to fall asleep and the first to get up."

"Think anyone else knows?"

"Long Range, he didn't seem surprised to see the scars. Techno and Marina Maybe, but I'm not so sure about Crash . . . Jess might as well."

"Why would she?"

" . . . Didn't Wetsuit or Zandar tell you?" Leatherneck glanced at Zandar, who winced.

"No, What?"

"When Jess meets someone, she sees the really good things, and the really bad. Generally, that's defined by a person's outlook . . . She sees less bad things with an optimist, and vice versa with a pessimist." Low Light's eyes widened. "She doesn't understand half of what she sees, other than something bad happened and so and so was in a lot of pain."

"And the reason no one told us was?"

"Wetsuit was going to tell you, when he was getting re-stitched up."

"I forgot after the seizure . . . I thought you knew."

"Well, this is going well . . ."

"I hope she's not traumatized . . ."

"No, with all that, she acts normal for a six year old . . . right up to playing with dolls." He shrugged. "She mentioned that nothing bad will happen to Rick, now that he's with the Outcasts. She can't see the things that are going to happen to her."

"Seems to be a trait in all precogs. They get the rare privilege of just sitting out and watching everything." Psyche Out shrugged. "We'll work with her tomorrow . . . what I'm more interested in having a talk with is Panthera."

"She's got a mission tomorrow. She leaves in a few hours."

"I'm going, Psyche Out, I'll try and talk to her." Lifeline offered.

"Oh? Who's going?"

"Althea, Todd, Xi, Snake Eyes, Kamakura, Panthera, Storm Shadow and a couple X men."

"That many?"

"Yeah, don't know any details, but that's the list. Including Lifeline."

* * *

After Long Range had helped her calm down, Panthera couldn't get back to sleep. Leatherneck had seen the scars, he'd probably bring it up with Lifeline. Then the medic would start asking her questions, and she didn't want to relive the lab. Ever. It was bad enough she still had nightmares.

She absently traced the scars on her right arm. It wasn't that Lifeline scared her, she just had her fill of having people examine her. She didn't trust Psyche Out, either. To her, those two were the most dangerous on base.

She didn't trust doctors because she'd been worked on by several, one of them had even worked at John Hopkins and would take a vacation in order to work for cobra. But Lifeline went the extra mile.

Oh, she knew that he was a pacifist, and wouldn't harm anyone, but Panthera was cynical of pretty much everyone. She also had a unique way of thinking, out of the box and a bit twisted . . . she could see what evil people were capable of, if they didn't have morals. Lifeline probably hadn't even thought about it, but he could stop someone's heart if he did it right. Control the person's breathing.

She wasn't scared of him, she just didn't trust people who were capable of playing mind games. She'd barely survived Cobra's.

**Some reasoning from Panthera on why she doesn't trust medical personel. She probably doesn't trust anyone until she can get them on her terms. **

**Her take on lifeline's abilities- In the story that introduces the unique ability of lifeline (Confessions of a Medic, I believe.) Lifeline manages to get Low Light from the brink of death. Also, Lifeline's abilities would have to accelerate a person's natural healing ability, so in some form, he'd be controlling their body. Would Lifeline ever actually think like that? No, but Panthera's very good at finding weapons in ordinary things . . . crud, another plot bunny just formed. **

**Like I said, it's not my fictives that drive me crazy (especially since Red Witch gave me a mallet) but the plot bunnies that accompany them. **


	15. Project Thirteen's goal

**Project Thirteen's Goal**

"I probably should be getting back to the hangar . . ." Zarana mumbled between kisses.

"Do you have to?" Mainframe pulled back. The two were locked into the computer room.

"Well . . . yes." Zarana sighed. "It's almost morning." Mainframe looked at the clock and winced.

"This would be much easier if we showed we were dating." Mainframe stretched out a kink in his back.

"Well, everyone knows we're working together . . . Maybe if we let it slip we're going out to dinner?" She straightened her clothes and hair.

"Several dinners." The computer beeped. "It found something." He finished dressing by putting on his helmet.

"How?"

"Oh, I have a search program that has all the names of high command. It'll beep when it finds a file with more than one name on it, or something marked by Cobra Commander or Serpentor."

"The . . . crossdresser or the original?"

"Cross- do I want to know?"

"Dreadnoks were involved. You don't."

"Original . . . never got around to taking him off the search." He tapped a few keys. "Uh-oh."

"That's never good, what- Uh-oh." Zarana stared over his shoulder. "Does that say what I think it does?"

"We better get the team leaders in here . . . Your girl especially."

"What's up? We're supposed to leave in two hours." Althea was a little cross as she entered the computer room with Roadblock. She'd been having a pleasant dream about her Toddles proposing to her over a romantic candle dinner, and Roadblock woke her up.

"Not a night person, huh?" Panthera was fully dressed, Leatherneck looked a little tired, but he had a cup of coffee.

"Normal store bought stuff." He noticed Roadblock's look. Duke, Flint and Sgt. Slaughter were also there. Hawk was already there with Mainframe and Zarana. "What's so important?"

"We just found out what Project Thirteen is." Hawk sighed. "We're going to keep this undercover for a bit, until we can stop it cold or it looks like we're not going to be able to stop it."

"What is it?" Althea shook off the remainder of sleep and stood a little straighter.

"Cobra's been split into two factions. One side that follows Cobra Commander, and the other that's still loyal to Serpentor."

"The cross dresser?"

"No, Original."

"Cross dressing serpentor joined the zodiac as the Thirteenth sign, Oespuchles or something like that. Means Snake bearer." Panthera supplied. "Have some cool designs coming out this fall, actually." She noted the looks. "Hey, Zodiac hasn't exactly been the top criminals, they've started a clothing line, and are in the process of becoming legit. Worst crime they've done right now is having kids in sweatshops make the clothes. They're not worth anyone's time."

"And you'll fund them?" Althea looked at her.

"May I point out that I don't have the same moral standards as you?" Panthera returned the look. "Besides, they've also started to lease out to superheroes and villains for costumes. Few more years and they're just going to be neutrals in the whole good and evil deal."

"You're unbelievable."

"I'm a realist."

"Girls." Hawk cut them off. "To put everything simply, this section is going to create another Serpentor, this one with mutant powers."

"This is without Cobra Commander's knowledge?" Duke studied the screen.

"Didn't Cross Country stumble onto something like this before?" Flint asked.

"Yes. The interesting thing is this section is being led by Major Bludd, who's apparently taking matters into his own hands."

"Thirteen different powers?" Althea and Panthera spoke at the same time. Both looked at each other before looking away.

"Well, Assuming Telepathy and super strength are in there, what else would he have?"

"Enehanced senses, maybe even superspeed. Probably an element manipulation, too."

"That's five. Invisibilty or teleporting?"

"Breathing underwater's a possibility, so is some form of precognition."

"Suddenly I don't want to know." Leatherneck winced.

"Wait, what about the mutants we found in the base?"

"They've been identified as Morlocks, they came from New York, so the X men are looking into it." Hawk sighed. "With this in mind . . . Panthera, your team is still in charge of putting a stop to this, but I want you to report to Flint. Any and all information relevant, I want you to give Flint."

"Why not you, Hawk?" Flint blinked.

"I have a few reasons, starting with Cobra doesn't know we have Panthera on our side." Panthera looked up. "And I don't want any attention drawn to the Outcasts from higher up. They took an interest with Misfits, and I've been working with them. Outcasts are going to be off the radar as much as possible. Flint and Beach head are the only two that tend to get overlooked on our command chain."

"So if Flint's working on a project, it's not as important as if you or I was doing it." Duke's statement was more of a question.

"Makes sense. If it's something really important, Hawk would look at it himself, or Duke would be in the know." Althea caught on. Panthera just studied Flint for a minute.

"Alright." She nodded. "May I have Techno look at the information while we're gone? And If the X men do ID the morlocks, have her get the information as well. She can compile it."

"Alirght, With the exception of the outcast team, no one else can hear about this."

"What about Lady Jaye? It's hard to keep secrets from her . . . that's my wife." Flint saw Panthera's slight confused look. "She knows when I don't tell her something, Hawk."

"What's her specialty?"

"Languages, acting and throwing special javelins."

"Sounds like Zarana."

"In Cobra, I was considered her opposite. Baroness picked Scarlett." Zarana noted the looks. "We got bored and so we picked the joes we thought would give us a good one on one fight, or that matched our standing and skills."

"What about Covergirl and Jinx?"

"Jinx got Pythona. Covergirl gets Demming, though that's not a fair fight for Covergirl, it would be too easy for her to beat Demming." Zarana shrugged. "As a nurse, Bree doesn't count, and Raven's a pilot and rarely on the ground."

"Who do I get?" Flint looked at her.

"Well . . . Major Bludd. Duke and Hawk get Destro and Zartan . . . and Cobra Commander doesn't really count . . ."

"Twins?"

"They weren't there. Cobra Commander and those two were in a meeting in his office."

"I thought Major Bludd was dead."

"Nah, Coma. Now that I think about it, I haven't heard anything about him for a while." A watch alarm went off, and Panthera turned it off.

"Sorry, don't have an alarm clock. We've got an hour before we go." Panthera sighed. "As for allowing Lady Jaye, do the two of you normally work together on things?"

"Yes."

"Then we might as well get her input. It'll look odd to Cobra if the couple that does everything together suddenly stops."

"Alright, but she's it. Everyone, keep this under your hats for a bit, until we know more on the situation."

**Yay, Project Thirteen revealed . . . I'm still working on the list for Serpentor III's powers. Going to be thirteen of them . . . heh. **


	16. Missions and Magic

**Missions and Magic**

"Why don't we just teleport out there?" Wavedancer glanced at Panthera, who was sitting next to Kamakura in the X men's helicopter. Wolverine was piloting, and X 23 was the co pilot.

"Some mystic temples have their interiors in another dimension. You could teleport in, but you'd only land in a crumbling building, you wouldn't get to the dimension." Storm Shadow explained.

"Why are we all going to this place anyway?" Panthera looked up.

"There's a mystical sword we have to get. Why you were brought in, I don't know."

"Seriously?" Panthera raised an eyebrow.

"What, don't believe in Magic?"

"Oh, I know it exists." She crossed her arms. "I just prefer not tangling with it."

"Didn't think you were scared of anything."

"I'm not scared of it, but every time I've met a real magician . . . the air gets uncomfortable and I get a headache." They stared at her. "What?"

"You can sense magic?"

"If that's what causes the headaches, I guess . . ."

"What about ghosts?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen one since my pack spent the night in an old abandoned house. They give off a worse feeling then the magic users." She blinked. "Why?"

"Well, looks like we've found part of the reason you're coming on this trip." Wolverine double checked something. "Alright, we're here." He landed.

"Yay, south asian jungles . . ." Panthera got up.

"Been here before?"

"Yeah, fun mission, trained man-eating tigers, A witch trying to steal Long Range, and an egotistical maniac." She paused, noting the looks. "What?"

"A witch? Don't you mean something else?"

"Nope. She was a **witch**, turned me into an actual tiger." She gave a grin. "That was her last mistake."

"You didn't eat her, did you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Because we're still trying to figure out who you are, personality wise."

"Ah, no, didn't eat her. But she had a one spell per person rule, so she couldn't hex me again." She kept the grin.

"What did you do?"

"Well, she's still alive, if that helps."

"Wait, how'd you turn back?" She didn't respond, just adjusted the glock she had on a shoulder holster.

"How many other missions do you have termed as fun?"

"Mostly the ones I went with one or more of my pack . . . we had a fun mission in Las Vegas."

"What did you do there?"

"Long Range had a job. We just played at the casinos."

"Aren't you underage?"

"Ever hear of a false I.D.?"

_Well, maybe she's not as bad as we're worried about . . . Or she's in a really good mood. _Lifeline shouldered his pack. While his abilities had grown since he started to use them more, he still got tired after using them. The pack was just for small injuries and poisons.

**There, the stupid thing didn't want to be written, and I went through three different drafts. I'm tempted to follow the plot bunny that popped up with this chapter (the mission that Panthera was talking about) and make it a short story . . . I swear, every chapter that I write has a plot bunny following it . . . **

**Panthera's comments on magic and ghosts- animals are hypersensitive, and have been known to (especially cats) growl at ghosts. (If you're a skeptic, you at least believe in the fact most 'ghosts' have an unexplained electromagnetic field where there should be nothing right?) Reason for that is probably the same reason animals act up right before an earthquake . . . more in tuned with the world than anyone else. I just took that ability, and modified it for Panthera. She gets headaches and a ringing in her ears. Some animals are also supposed to be able to feel magic, (again, I'm basing it off of cat stories I've heard. I'm an animal person, but I particularly like cats.)**


	17. Trials and Troubles

**Trials and Troubles**

"Big creepy temple in the middle of nowhere and doesn't show up on satellite." Panthera studied it as they approached. "Go figure." She shifted the shoulder holster under her jacket.

"I've been meaning to ask, why do you have a handgun?" Kamakura looked at her.

"Long Range is paranoid I'll go up against something I can't beat hands on by myself."

"Taught you to shoot as well?"

"I can hit a target."

"That's a yes for you, isn't it?"

The inside was rather plain, though better kept than the outside. Panthera winced as she entered, hearing the hum in her ears that generally accompanied magic. It was everywhere. There were several doorways and archways that lead off into the interior.

"So, know where the sword is?" Althea looked at her.

"Depends, would it have more magic or less magic accompanying it?" Her ears were starting to hurt.

"Well, more magic would mean traps, probably guarding something." Wolverine glanced at Storm Shadow. "Less magic might be a way to fool someone into believing the area with more magic is the right place when the object is pretty much sitting in an empty room. Fifty-fifty chance."

"This is like the temple of doom." Toad noticed a many armed skeletal statue.

"If that's the case, avoid any area with lava." Kamakura smiled under his mask. "Where to?"

"Well, we either split up, or pair off." Wavedancer glanced at Panthera, who shrugged.

"I don't care, I'm not going to be the one to use the sword anyway."

Toad hopped closer to the statue. As he did, he landed on a stone that sunk into the floor. "Oops."

"Oops?" Something started grinding. "Take cover!" Arrows shot out of the wall. Everyone moved to an archway or door.

"Crud!" As Wavedancer and Lifeline passed into one doorway, a set of bars sprang up. Toad and Wolverine dove into another, this one having a grate slam down. Stormshadow and X 23 also wound up in the same doorway. As did Kamakura and Snake Eyes. Panthera had subconsciously headed for one that had less magic, Xi just behind her. A wall slammed down behind them.

"Everyone in one piece?" Panthera blinked as Wavedancer's voice came over the radio. Her eyes adjusted to the almost non existent light.

"Me and Toad are okay." Wolverine growled.

"I have X 23." Storm Shadow looked out.

"Sensei and I are alright."

"I'm fine." Panthera ripped an arrow out of her shoulder. "So's Xi." She added, noticing a pair of familiar eyes.

"Well . . . that solves how to split up."

"Only way out is forward."

"Keep in contact."

"You got it."

* * *

"So, uh, read anything good lately?" Toad absently wondered who he had ticked off to get stuck with Wolverine.

"Yeah, Art of War." Wolverine looked at him. "You have to talk?"

"Well . . . I'm in a big, but fairly dark tunnel, my friend is with a homicidal mutant, and while they're probably evenly matched normally Xi forgot his sword."

"Glad to know your worried about Xi." Panthera growled over the mic. "May I point out that said homicidal mutant is able to hear everything you're saying?"

"Oops . . ."

"You left your mic on again, didn't you?" Althea's voice came on.

"You don't have to worry about that, Toad . . . We're at a junction."

"You're splitting up?" Storm Shadow asked, he and Rina had stopped moving as everyone started talking.

"Yeah, might as well. Neither Tunnel has any strong magic, and we'll be careful." Xi echoed her with reassurance, and then they went silent for a bit.

Storm Shadow shook his head, and continued on. He and Rina were discussing martial arts, and some of the danger room sessions she had done. Something moved up ahead of them.

"Hear that?" X 23 tensed.

"Yes, it looks like we're not alone." Two stone statues walked out of the darkness towards them.

* * *

"Wavedancer, what do you think about Panthera?"

"Dangerous, but I've seen her playing with Terri and the other young Outcasts, so . . . I don't know. She still hasn't let you near her?"

"I'm running out of ideas."

"Waiting for her to come to you might work." Lifeline nodded, then tripped over another button in the floor. The hallway ahead came alive with swinging blades. "Oh . . . this isn't good."

* * *

Snake Eyes stopped abruptly, Kamakura almost walking into him.

"Sensei, What-?" Upahead, a good chunk of the floor was gone, replaced by water. A lever was on the far side. "How do we get across this?" Snake Eyes tossed a rock into the water, which promptly disntergrated it. "Without wading through it."

"We haven't gotten into any trouble yet. Nevermind." Toad's voice took on a resigned tone. "Anyone else have giant statues?"

"I have a more pressing problem. The ceiling is coming down and I can't quite reach the lever to stop it." Xi gave a soft grunt. "I wish I could teleport."

Panthera listened in on the problems the others were facing, but focused on the tunnel. At some point, she had moved through a panel, and wound up in a passage way that seemed to have odd junctions with walls. Even with her flashlight dimming, Her eyes could see everything.

"Damn." She stopped. Something rustled behind her, but she didn't turn around.

"Panthera, what's wrong?"

"There's a shaft." She kicked a rock into it. "Beyond it is a dead end." She heard the rock hit bottom, as well as someone sneaking up behind her.

"So what's the problem?"

"I'm not alone." She dodged a sword swipe.

"Die!"

**And I'll just leave it right there. **


	18. Doubleedged Loyalty

**Double-edged Loyalty**

Panthera winced as her attacker's sword bit into her shoulder. She grabbed onto the blade to keep from falling, and only succeeded in grabbing onto the man's shirt before pulling them both into the pit.

* * *

"That was rather easy." Storm Shadow glanced at Rina, who sheathed her claws.

"You had giant statues as well?" Wolverine called over the radio. He and Toad had managed to get by . . . Toad's slime did a good job of making it hard for the statues to move.

"Xi, what about you?" Storm Shadow called.

"I'm alright . . . But I believe I got lost. Oh." He met Storm Shadow and X 23 at a junction. "Nevermind, I just found you."

"That's great news . . ." Wavedancer muttered.

"You okay Al?"

"She got a little sliced by the blades, nothing I can't fix." Lifeline spoke up. "How's the situation on your end, Kamakura?"

"The acid was an illusion. A really good, convincing illusion." Kamakura sounded a little shaky, with fairly good reason . . . the rope he and Snake Eyes had used to cross had snapped, dumping both into the 'acid'. "We need to check out the climbing ropes though, it snapped pretty easy." They met up with Lifeline and Wavedancer.

"What about Panthera?"

* * *

Panthera landed hard, kicking out and slamming him against a wall. Temporarily stunned, he slumped back. Untangling herself from whatever it was that was on the ground, she searched in the dark for her gun or flashlight, but she grabbed onto a rusted sword instead. The man lunged at her from behind and she jerked the rusted sword up to block, ignoring pain in her shoulder. In some part of her Brain, she noticed that she wasn't healing like normal. She accidentally cut her thumb on the sword as she fumbled for a better grip. Jumping out of the pit, She started to run as fast as she could, trying to put distance between her and the unknown Man.

Whom she was doubting was human as he caught up to her. _I need to learn how to use a sword. Basic blocks and that stuff. Filing that away for later._ She winced as her opponent's sword cut her side, pain flaring. Absently she put her free hand to the cut, feeling blood. "Damn."

* * *

"Whoa, nice room." The room was a brilliant glowing gold, and there was an altar with a spot for an object to sit. Toad hopped around, looking at carvings. He pulled out a translator, and scanned a spot on the Altar. "Says 'resting place of the Destiny Stone'. Well, it says Stone of Destiny, but I think we all know that." Toad shrank a little at Wolverine's look.

"Doesn't look like there's a sword here." Both turned as a pillar rotated, Revealing Xi, X23 and Storm Shadow.

"I would have thought it would have been in the main temple." Storm Shadow frowned.

"Some pretty heavy stuff here." Toad was looking at another wall with the translator. "Says the stone was stolen by a traitor." Storm Shadow walked over to look.

"Yes . . . also says that loyalty has a price." Storm Shadow frowned.

"Which almost sounds like a bad thing, with that wording." Althea commented as the four of the remaining five walked in.

"Well, it might not be translated right . . . I'm afraid this dialect has a mix of Sanskrit and ancient Chinese characters." Storm Shadow glanced at Snake Eyes and Wolverine. "What do you think?"

"I think that's a false wall." Wolverine stepped forward and put his ear to it. "Something's going on behind it, sounds like our missing kitten." The panel next to it spun suddenly, sending Panthera and her attacker into the room. Panthera coughed, tasting blood, while Wolverine quickly lunged at the man. The man blocked with the sword, and Wolverine's eyes widened a hair.

"X23 watch the sword, don't get cut by it!" He pulled back. "Lifeline, heal Panthera, quick!"

"She's not healing!" Kamakura noted. Wary of the bright shiny sword in her hand, he held that arm down, and almost knocked his head on the part of the scabbard that poked over her right shoulder. Lifeline winced as he quickly fixed the damage, Her healing factor coming into play when he was halfway through. Panthera still looked a little shaky though, so she stayed down. All three looked up in time to see Wolverine kill the man.

"What was that?" Wavedancer watched as Wolverine grabbed the sword, quickly cleaning it and putting it in it's sheath.

"Murmasa blade. If it cuts a mutant with a healing factor, that cut won't heal up like normal for them." Wolverine held it. "It's not the sword we're looking for, though."

"How do you know about it?"

" . . . I helped make it. Leave it at that."

"Hey, Panthera, maybe you should let go of the sword right now."

"Huh? Oh, sure, it was just a rusty piece of – "She glanced at the blade. "-Junk? This isn't the sword I grabbed." Her exhaustion was quickly disappearing, but she wondered if she hadn't gotten hit on the head . . . a concussion would make her dizzy for an hour or so depending.

"Where did you find it?"

"The rusted one? In a pit with a few skeletons. I know it was rusted though . . . What the heck?" She felt the sword scabbard on her back, and pulled it off. "I must've gotten tangled in this . . ."

"I think you found the sword we're looking for." Storm Shadow compared a glyph on the wall to one on the sword hilt, which was rounded where it connected to the sword. "The blade's called Loyalty."

"Fascinating." She sheathed it and passed it to him. Reaching out to grab it, he barely got his hand on the hilt when it flashed a dark gold color and burned him.

"Are you alright?!" Xi watched as Storm Shadow jerked away from the sword, holding his hand.

"Yes, but . . . why isn't it burning you?" Panthera shrugged. "How badly rusted was the blade you picked up?"

"Pretty bad, it felt like I cut my thumb with pure rust."

"You bled on the sword?" Wolverine looked at her as well, and Panthera absently shifted back.

"Uh, yeah? I was kind of bleeding a lot though."

" . . . Then the sword is yours." Storm Shadow looked at her. "Sword etiquette."

"What?!" She looked at him. "What am I going to do with a sword?"

"It's yours. It'll stay that way till you die." Something in his voice told her that he wasn't to pleased with that.

" . . . you've got to be kidding." Panthera muttered, but more to herself as she looked at the sword.

"Aw, I wanted to get the sword." Toad pouted. Panthera looked at him, and blinked. Both he and Althea had something glowing in their chests. Something cold brushed her, and she quickly shook it off. "Being a knight of the destiny stone sounds so cool." Panthera absently frowned.

"C'mon, it's time for us to get going." Panthera watched as everyone got last minute scans from the walls, and slipped the sword back on, over her shoulder. As she did, she felt something in her shoulder holster. Quickly, she looked at it. There was a ornate tube, the kind that generally held things like scrolls. Not wanting any more attention, especially from Storm Shadow, she stayed quiet.

Later on, she would hide both the sword and scroll in her room, unwilling to use either.

* * *

"What brings an X-men to the Morlocks lair? Here to join us?" Callisto spoke up as Shadowcat entered the tunnel. Callisto briefly frowned as she realized that the girl who's hair was normally in a pony tail had it down.

"Hardly. There was a raid on a genetics lab, several mutants were in the lab's computer as 'Morlocks from New York'. I'm just here to ask if you know them, and what their powers were."

"Oh? And why should we answer truthfully?"

"I didn't come to play games, Callisto. I'm already having a bad day, and to top it off, there's a lab trying to fuse genes of different mutants into each other to create a group of super mutants. Just tell me what their powers were, and I'm out of here."

"Why, too good for us?" A morlock called out.

"No, sick of the attitude down here. We're doing our level best to help mutants, and we could do better if we weren't getting backstabbed all the time by our own kind!" She glared at the speaker. "And you people wonder why we can't get along." Shadowcat didn't know what was wrong with her, but she could barely keep her temper lately.

"Let Caliban see pictures." Caliban took them. "Caliban recognizes these three. He could turn off gravty in a certain radius. She could clap and make shockwaves. And She was capable of regrowing her own limbs." Kitty gave a grim smile.

"Thank you Caliban . . . if you can think of who the other two are, send word to the mansion, and we'll either come here or meet you wherever." She took the three identified photos. "Unless we're fending off an invasion or fighting off someone else. Then it may take a while." She phased her hands, and pulled herself up through the ceiling of the tunnel.

"Caliban!"

"Caliban has been sensing a mutant with jumbled powers for quite sometime . . . and several of them attacked the institute not too long ago. Who knows what the next target will be."

* * *

Chaos level at the mansion had come close to its normal level. Bobby and Jamie were chasing each other, Tabitha and Amara were chasing Roberto and Ray for something they did, Angel was chasing Forge for yet another invention gone wrong (It turned his wings pink.). Almost normal.

"You okay Kurt?" Jean looked at the furry blue mutant.

"Just fine, Jean." He flashed a smile. "I'm not going anywhere, and Lifeline already cleared me."

"I know . . . you just really scared me."

"I apologize, but I'm not going anywhere just yet. Finding out what happened to Kitty's personality might be a bit more important . . . Peter's still moping."

"You're right. Huh?" Jean glanced aside. For a second her eyes unfocused, staring at something far away.

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah . . . Someone's hurt." Jean absently levitated and flew towards the pain. Kurt scrambled to keep up.

"You're right about that . . . there's a woman down there." Peering over the cliff edge, Kurt saw a woman passed out on a large rock. He quickly teleported down, grabbed her, and reappeared next to Jean. "She's got a harpoon in her leg." He mentioned, a bit unnessicary.

"She's either a mutant or a mermaid." Jean studied the gills on the woman's neck. She had darks hair and had a blue tint to her skin. "She's breathing just fine out of water though." Something about the woman looked familiar, though she couldn't quite place it.

"Get her back to the mansion?"

"Yes, Beast can look her over."

* * *

"Pathetic. Did they really mean to try and stop me?" Magneto wrecked several 'security measures' on the weapons lab he and his group of mutants were attacking. The ground shuddered, and it didn't take Cortez's shout of 'Earthquake' to tip him off on what it was. The situation turned deadly rather quickly, and most of Magneto's team made it out as the building erupted into an inferno and began to cave in.

"We're missing Pyro." Solitaire noted, glancing back at the building. "He was holding back the worst of the fire so Cortez and I could get out." An aftershock made another wall come down.

"There's no time to get him out. His sacrifice will be noted." Sirens sounded, and the group of mutant terrorists disappeared.

Meanwhile in the building, a redhead struggled to escape the iron support beam that pinned him down. He was doing his level best to keep the fire away from him, but his vision was steadily graying . . . the last thing he saw was two men in large silver biohazard fire suits looking down at him . . . then all went black.

**Another chapter done. Next up is the chapter or so that both Althea and Storm won't like. ;)**


	19. Mommy Dearest

**Mommy Dearest**

Althea had fully intended on forgetting the fact that her opposite on the Outcast team got a sword that was made for 'Loyalty', especially since said girl had commented that she didn't care who she hurt, she was going to make Cobra pay.

She was getting a headache trying to figure that one out.

The instant they teleported into the X mansion, Pietro was off to raise havoc. Lance and Todd disappeared quickly as well, while Wanda went off in search of her brother. She was about to follow her sisters, who were on the way to Forge's lab. Shipwreck had arrived to 'woo' Storm once again, if the lightning didn't kill them first, and was right behind her.

"Hector?" Shipwreck froze, recognizing the voice. "Is that you?" He turned slowly, dimly aware of Althea at his back. "Don't you recognize me?" That was the understatement of the century. It was, after all, hard to forget your Ex-wife who ran off with some rich guy from atlantis.

"Mara?" She promptly burst into tears and flung herself at him. He was in too deep of shock to do anything but catch her and hold her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Hector, I'm so sorry . . . I made a terrible mistake!" She kept crying. "I shouldn't have left you, I'm so sorry!!" Whatever anger Shipwreck had was quickly dissolved. He couldn't quite stay mad at Mara, never really could.

"It's okay . . . Mara, what happened?"

"He . . . got violent . . . I was so scared!" Storm watched from the sidelines, a part of her was relieved that Shipwreck wasn't going to be bothering her, but another part, her intuition, was screaming that the woman Shipwreck was holding was lying.

"Jean and Kurt found her with a harpoon in her leg. She had passed out from exhaustion." Storm kept her voice even.

"M-mom?" Althea blinked, shock temporarily keeping her normal reaction (punching the woman that abandoned them) from happening. Mara lifted her tear-streaked face off of Shipwreck's shoulder. Althea was surprised by the emotion in the woman's eyes, there was regret and pain . . . whereas the last time she had seen her mom, there was distaste and cold indifference.

"Althea?" Most everyone else had shown up to see what was happening. "You've grown so much . . . You're beautiful." Trinity ddn't quite know what to make of their own greeting from their mother, and before Xavier got them into the library, Mara had seen Claudius and Beak. Storm's feeling that something was off was cemented by her first reaction to the boys, which happened before anyone else could even glance at her.

It was one of utter revulsion.

"They've been shut up in that room for hours." Todd complained. He was missing his girlfriend. He perked up as the door opened.

"Hey, Charles, Is it alright if we stay her for a bit? It's close to the ocean, and it'll take awhile before Hawk to get the paperwork through for letting Mara back on base." It was Shipwreck.

"As long as you keep the noise level down, I see no reason not to." Althea slipped out, heading to Todd.

"Everything okay?"

"Sorta . . ." She fingered a shell necklace.

"That's a pretty necklace."

"Mom gave it to me. She got one each for the triplets, even something for Claudius and Dad . . ." Althea sighed.

"Anything wrong, Althea?" Storm looked over.

"No. Probably just my imagination." Althea shrugged, a little listlessly.

"How are you doing with her back?"

"It's . . . weird . . ." Althea spaced for a moment, then shook herself. "I'll see you later, Toddles." She kissed him, and then went back to the rest of her family.

The other joes reactions ranged from shock to anger. Wetsuit seemed especially ticked off.

"That no-good . . . Shipwreck was drunk for days and it wasn't a good type of drunk!!"

"I'm going to take it that there are different types of drunkenness?" Marina asked, curious. Panthera glanced up from where she and Marina were reading on the couch.

"I don't think so . . . drunk is pretty much drunk." Panthera shifted. "Which I can't seem to get."

"You drink?" Mutt's head snapped up from where he was on the floor with Junkyard and Terri.

"Once at a club, while meeting a client. Insisted on paying for whatever I wanted. I out drank him without trying." She glanced back at the book to mark her page. "Alcohol tastes awful, by the way, I don't see how anyone enjoys it."

"It's an acquired taste, squirt." Leatherneck shifted, scowling as he pulled out a plastic dog toy from his chair. "And yes, there are different types of drunk. 'Fun' drunk, which includes but is not limited to stripping, telling jokes, providing blackmail material by doing above or singing off key or dancing. 'Fighting' drunk, which usually entails some of fun drunks quirks but normally ends up in a fight and then in jail. And 'Depressed' drunk, in which people drink to forget but wind up sobbing and being morose. There are variations, but Shipwreck's normally a fun drunk."

"We heard about it back in Cobra. There was some talk about kidnapping the kids while the divorce was in progress, but in the end, we decided not to." Zarana sighed. Jess was using her for a pillow again.

"Why?"

"Oh, Baroness and Destro got into a fight about their on again off again relationship, Zartan broke down because the same thing had happened to him, with Zanya's mom leaving him with Zanya . . . Dr. Mindbender was still in the doghouse with Cobra Commander for a lab accident that had turned him into a five year old for a week- don't ask- and the Twins and Demming were having a love spat as well."

"What were you doing?"

"The men in my family are notorious at messing up budgets. Zanya and I were working."

"If she hurt him that bad, why is he trying to get her back on base?"

"Eh, Shipwreck's unique. Then again, he fell for Mara pretty hard."

"Wouldn't falling for her hurt?" Marina looked up from her comic book.

"It's an expression." As the adults preceeded to explain the expression, Panthera slipped away for another drill with Sgt. Slaughter. Her last one, thankfully.

The next day came bright and early at the X mansion, but with a notable change in atmosphere among the Delgado family.

**Heh . . . I'm glad Althea can't do anything to me . . . **

Althea: What the- (censored for obivious reasons) – hell?! I wouldn't even give that woman the time of day, I'd throw anything she gave me-

Panthera: Chill, Wavedancer, you already know the outcome anyway.

Althea: Doesn't mean I have to like it! You don't get along with your mom either.

Panthera: I don't know my biological mom. Adopted mom, yeah, but not to the extent I'd throw her off an airplane.

Jean: Shouldn't it be pushed off a boat?

Panthera: Jean, I'm talking about Mara.

Jean: Oh, yeah . . . Makes sense.

**What will happen next? Heeheehee!**

Storm: I take it she's going to keep going with this?

Althea: Yeah . . . sorry Storm, I tried.


	20. Weather Witch vs Sea Witch

**Weather Witch vs. Sea Witch**

Storm's normally calm demeanor was marred by a frown. In fact, she was down right scowling as she watched Althea, the triplets, Shipwreck, and Claudius go to the beach with Mara. They had left Beak behind again and Polly was locked in a cage. Angry, she calmed down a little as she picked up Beak, who's cries softened once in her arms. She kept a tight lid on her anger as it surged, realizing that he hadn't been fed or changed yet, and it was already noon. Taking Polly with her to her green house, she cared for both.

"Swabby's in trouble." Polly sqwaked, but he seemed a little down. He wasn't flying off to cause havoc, and he sat a little dejected on Storm's shoulder.

"Not much I can do right now, Polly . . ." Storm picked up the phone. "But I am going to make sure Beak doesn't get neglected again . . . Mr. White? This is Ororo Munroe . . ."

* * *

Kurt jumped from tree branch to tree branch, pretending he was back in the circus with his family. He'd gotten left behind while everyone else went for a camping trip (Beast insisted he not overstrain himself, and since he wanted Jean to stop keeping an eye on him, he agreed) He miss-timed a jump, and promptly collided into brownish hair and something that smelled faintly like a swamp. "Todd?" He blinked. "What's wrong?" The Misfit frog boy was crying.

"Al . . . Althea broke up with me . . ."

"Vas!!" Kurt's mind blanked. "How? Why? She and you . . . you and her . . ." He blinked at Todd. "That's like the world ending, Todd, she wouldn't."

"She said her mother didn't approve, and that she thought I was ugly . . ."

"She said that?" Kurt gasped. Todd looked like he was going to cry again. "Well . . . I know a place we can hide out for a bit, maybe we can figure out what's wrong." He grabbed Todd's shoulder and ported.

A baby's cry and Storm's call of "Kurt!" signaled their arrival. Kurt apologized, and Todd noticed Beak.

"Shipwreck wouldn't abandon him!" Todd absently picked up Beak. "Heck, he burned down a bar to help him!"

"I know . . . but it's like they're under a spell or something . . ." Storm slumped. "I already put in for partial custody for Beak . . . which means that even if that sea witch takes the rest, I keep Beak safe."

"How long?"

"I've spoken to both lawyers. They'll have paperwork by the end of the day. I don't even trust that witch with Claudius, but the only way to get partial custody for him is to have both Mara and Shipwreck sign . . . I'm still working on how I'll do that."

"Marriage liscense." Todd noted the looks. "I'm serious, they both have to sign it right?"

" . . . Think you can get that lawyer here?"

"With the handy dandy watch-"

"Witch! That's it." Kurt looked at them. "I'll ask Amanda and her mom to see if there's a spell on them-"

"No, wait, that would be too obvious right now." Todd spoke up. "We'll need someone who can sense magic, but that talent isn't well known."

"You have someone in mind?"

"Yep. I'll go get the lawyer and our secret weapon, you two lay low and keep an eye on them, okay?" Todd received two nods of confirmation, and was gone.

"Married?!" Roadblock couldn't even think of anything to rhyme, that's how in shock he was. All the misfit adults were there, along with Storm and Xavier. The lawyer that had worked with Shipwreck's divorce, held out the paper.

"It's just the licence, for right now, there's half a dozen other things to go through, but I understand you're in a hurry."

"Yes, don't want to waste anytime." Shipwreck nodded. He signed, as did Mara. "What's the third line for?"

"Witness."

"I'll do it." Storm volunteered. No one stopped her.

"Oh, Mara, I need you to sign this as well . . . it basically retracts the statements made in your divorce."

"Oh, of course!" She signed. "How soon until the papers are done?"

"About a week I should think, maybe a few more days." He smiled cordially, and then walked to the door. "Um, I afraid I don't know my way around."

"Ororo will escort you." Xavier nodded, and the two left. "Now, right now most of the students are on a field trip with Scott and Jean watching. Your misfits have tagged along, if you would like to send the girls?"

"Oh, I'd like to spend the time to get to know them again . . . I take it there's a mall?"

"We have to head back to base . . ." Roadblock let Low Light and Covergirl go. Spirit and Blind Master were with the students on the field trip.

"Roadblock, would you like to join me for a drink?" Xavier smiled, "I think the two love birds would like to be left alone." Mara smiled as the door closed.

"Oh yes, we would . . . don't you agree dear?" Shipwreck looked at her blankly.

* * *

"Hey, Althea." Althea glanced up from her spot on the bench. Panthera looked a little annoyed. "You haven't been on base. What gives?"

"Was I needed for something?" She blinked, confused.

"Oh, nothing for Hawk or anyone . . . you just promised to help with my budgeting skills, remember?" Althea jerked, remembering.

"Oh, sorry!"

"I'm almost over due with the list, so just check it over for right now, okay? We can get together for a lesson later." Althea glanced at her.

"Why?"

"You're mom's back, isn't she? Figured you want more time with her."

"Thanks . . .you're really nice, aren't you?" Althea checked it out, then nodded. "Looks good. I'll see you later?"

"Got a mission as soon as I get back, but yes." She took it and walked away. She slipped into the garage where Kurt was waiting with Todd. "You're right, she's under a spell . . . that necklace is magic . . . and I imagine her sisters and dad have something similar." She absently crossed her arms.

"Yeah . . . Mara gave them all gifts of jewelry." Todd nodded. "Thanks, Panthera."

"You owe me one . . . don't forget it." Todd quickly teleported her back to base, and then popped right next to Kurt.

"Now we go talk to Margali?"

"Oh, yeah . . . after we talk to Storm and Roadblock." Kurt grabbed him and teleported into the study. Both lawyers were there, along with Storm, Roadblock and the Proffesor. "Panthera confirmed that they're under spells. It's the jewelry she gave them."

"Right, Margali is out for right now, but Amanda is still there . . . Kurt?"

"I'm gone." He disappeared to get her.

"I'm not so sure I approve of your taking custody of Beak and Claudius in case something happens to Shipwreck." Roadblock looked at Storm.

"I realize that would make the two into X men, but I honestly wouldn't trust her with Claudius either . . . she doesn't hold him right, she rarely even feeds him . . . if it weren't for that spell, he'd be crying." Storm absently bounced Beak on her knee. "I had to sneak in a couple times to do so myself."

"You think she'd hurt him?"

"There's a type of depression that can cause women to reject the children they gave birth to. Some of them have even tried to kill their own children." Storm glanced down, "It only happened once in my village . . . the woman couldn't even look at her child for the first two years of the baby's life."

"It got better?"

"Somewhat." Storm glanced up. "She almost suffocated the child, and it had to be taken away."

"That's better?"

"The point is, Mara can't be trusted near the children. Storm's already offered to act as a 'Nanny' while she re-connects with her girls and Shipwreck. Mara's accepted."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Have Lifeline near by . . . It may get ugly fast."

"What about Beast?"

"He and Wolverine left to check on something. He should be back, day after tomorrow, but there's a chance that whatever she's waiting for might happen sooner, rather than later." Xavier steepled his fingers, "And Beast has almost none experience taking care of injuries on a toddler."

"Back." Kurt ported in. Amanda smiled, and was quickly brought up on the situation.

"Magic items that bespell the wearer? Most often, you can remove it, and the spell will break . . . or even break the necklace in pieces, just to be sure. For Althea, if you're not sure it worked, I'd recommend kissing her, Todd . . ." She shrugged. "Other than that, I'm not sure. I can break any simple magic, if you need me to."

"Then if you'll excuse me, I'll go act my part." Storm got up. "It's this little guy's lunch time anyway." Kurt nodded, then teleported Todd and Amanda to the community room to watch a movie. Roadblock took the lawyer with him.

"There you go . . ." Storm helped Beak lift the spoon to his mouth. Claudius understood how to eat, but it tended to get everywhere.

"Oh, there you are." Mara stopped in the doorway. "My, that's a bit of a mess . . ."

"A bit." Storm smiled at the boys. "But I find it rather adorable. Did you need something?"

"Well . . . I'm sorry what are you wearing?"

"It's my X men uniform, I have a cape right there. It's stain resistant, and most of my clothes are rather dirty. Does it look bad?"

"Oh, no . . . what's he doing?" Storm didn't miss the slight agitation as she turned to see Beak bite off the bracelet Claudius wore.

"Beak, no! That's your brother's!" Storm scolded, she very gently took the shell bracelet. "Barney doesn't normally do that . . . I'm sorry." She handed it to Mara. "Can you fix it?"

"Y-yes. It'll take a bit." Mara was clearly suppressing annoyance. "Oh!" a glob of food hit her face. Storm could see the rage that flicked across.

"Boys, that's no way to behave!" Storm reluctantly shielded Mara from any further flying food. "Really, now." She handed Mara a towel. "For the food." Mara nodded, and wiped her face.

"Dear things, aren't they?" The barely concealed dislike put Storm on edge, though she kept her face neutral.

"Yes, remind me of the boys I grew up with." Storm glanced at her. "Did you need anything?"

"Claudius . . . Hector wants him." Mara smiled, trying not to get annoyed with the simple woman that was caring for the two brats.

"Then I better bring Beak with you as well . . . He misses Shipwreck." Storm ignored the woman's sudden tenseness, but was concerned when she suddenly relaxed.

"I can carry them both . . . Use to carry Daria and Quinn all the time." Storm smiled, but hardly missed Claudius's sudden unease. Casually, she put on her cape, and then followed Mara at a discreet distance to the outside. She also smiled as Xavier caught her thought projection, and saw Kurt Todd and Amanda head toward the girls. Xavier would see Shipwreck in a moment.

Ahead Beak and Lil' C started to bawl. She started to quicken her pace, and broke into a rocky space at the edge of a cliff. "Mara!!" The woman wasn't holding the babies right, and when she glanced back, Storm almost gulped. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting rid of these freaks!!"

"Mara!!"

"Mom?!" Mara froze as she saw her eldest and her ex husband right there. "Mother, why?" Althea couldn't breathe.

"Because they're unnessecary." Then she threw the babies over the cliff. Storm went to dive after them, and Mara tackled her, both unable to halt their momentum, and soon they too were over the edge. Everyone else came running, but the wind that came knocked them back.

"Kurt, Teleport!"

"I can't, I have to see where . . . and the wind or water will crush me before I can do anything!!"

"Amanda!"

"I don't know!! None of the spells I know cover this!!"

"Trinity!"

"We can't take off in this . . . the wind's too strong. Aah!" Lightning stuck, and the sky darkened. A funnel cloud came down, and very quickly became a cyclone.

It could have been seconds or hours, but the funnel disapated and Revealed Storm in the center, holding both Barney and Claudius. She landed with a slight stumble. Althea and Todd ran over and quickly checked the two.

"They're all right!" Althea hugged and cooed over Lil' C. Until Beak got fed up with her not paying attention and managed to bite her sleeve.

"Thank you Storm." Shipwreck steadied her. Storm gave a tired smile.

"Sea witch didn't deserve a good guy like you . . . You deserve better."

"Like a weather witch?" Shipwreck half expected a bolt of lightning or a slap. He didn't expect Storm to kiss his cheek.

"Something like that, Sailor . . ." Storm fainted. Her cape obeyed the laws of gravity and slid off her side to be behind her . . .and revealed a dagger deep in her side.

"Christ . . . Medic! Need a medic!!" He held her up carefully.

"Right here, Shipwreck." Lifeline winced in sympathy as he pulled it out. "Looks like Storm brought a storm this way."

"No, It's really raining." Xavier offered.

* * *

"I can't believe . . . that woman had no right . . ." The water in the cup next to Althea began to boil.

"Easy, Al . . . it's alright." Todd hugged his girlfriend.

"No it's not! She made me hurt you! I hope Storm fried her!"

"I don't think she could risk it with the babies." Amanda snuggled next to her boyfriend. "By the way, the necklace she was wearing was what allowed her to breath out of water."

"I can't believe how easily she tricked us . . . we're supposed to be smarter than that!"

"But she was still your mom." Kurt reminded them. "Her leaving you a few years ago didn't change that."

"I guess so . . ." Chaos sounded from the mansion's front door.

"The other's are back."

"How's Storm, while we're still on the subject?"

"Sleeping. Your dad has the babies with her."

"Althea, a word?" Roadblock called her over.

"What is it?"

"Outcasts had a mission today."

"Yeah, Panthera mentioned it earlier."

" . . . Panthera was almost killed." Roadblock noted the surprise. "Details are sketchy, but right now, she's unconscious. Misfits are going to hear about it as soon as they get back to base."

"Anyone else hurt?"

"Minor scrapes compared to her . . . Had to give you the heads up." Althea nodded, and then joined everyone else.

**I'm pretty sure chaos is going to reign at the mansion for a while . . . Next chapter: what happened on the mission that cause Panthera trouble.**

Storm: I can't believe you wrote this . . . I do not like Shipwreck!!

Althea: I would never break up with Toddles! My Toddles! (Grabs Toad and hugs tight)

Toad: Al . . . Can't . . . Breathe . . .

**It was a plot bunny that was who would win, Mara or Storm! And, Storm, you were suffering from blood loss and shock, if that helps. Besides, I like Stormwreck too . . . **

Storm: RogueFan KC corrupted you.

Panthera: You're just noticing that now?

Althea: I've seen the outline storm, and I have to tell you, there are several more subtle moments with you and Shipwreck coming up. You do go back to zapping him, so don't worry.


	21. Mission gone Wrong

**Mission gone Wrong**

The mission was a simple one. Infiltrate a building owned by Extensive Enterprises, get proof there was a genetics lab under it, and bust the operation. It was actually going just fine. Panthera was on the top penthouse type floor, going through papers in the safe, and everyone else was down stairs.

She straightened, having found the correct file, and put it into a hidden pocket in her jacket. Then someone rushed her from the shadows.

The building next door was undergoing renovation, and was currently empty. Well, it had been Empty, but two combatants crashed through a wall, destroying the quiet peace.

Panthera flipped her attacker, dimly noting how tall the person was. "Hello, One. Or is it Intimidator now?" One was Seven feet tall . . .maybe even a couple inches past it, but Panthera didn't really care.

"What do you think, Little Animal?"

"Original much?" She put some distance between the two. "What do you want?"

"Oh, just to bring you home. Moreau wants to finish what he started, and you escaped before he could activate the rest of your powers." He looked at her. "You were a fool to escape . . . even Ten could beat you in this weak state."

"I'm not going back!" She growled. "You'd have to kill me first."

"Very well." Intimidator turned metallic, and spikes grew from his chest. "But you haven't a chance to beat me as you are."

As painful as it was for her to admit it, he was right.

Panthera had quick healing, the strength of, say, a tiger, claws, denser bones that didn't break easily (but could still break) and the ability to survive extreme temperatures.

Intimidator had metallic skin, Strength that could rival the juggernaut, spikes, energy blasts from his eyes, a healing factor, (though not as good as hers) and a psychic ability of telekensis.

In a battle of who would win, the odds were not with Panthera. And, as the two went at it, she was flung around like a rag doll, her claws barely even scratching the metal skin.

"You know, I always wondred how you could fight us. We're supposed to be programmed to be unable to fight each other. Then I realized, you don't consider us a pack at all." He pinned her to the wall with a spike through her shoulder. "And that's all it took. You see us as betraying you, by deciding Cobra had the right of it. Ten and Twelve were the only packmates you cared for, only ones that followed you completely. Therefore, they are the only ones you can't hurt." She ripped the spike out, and threw it at him. He caught it. "I imagine that's why you automatically made that pack for yourself, you have to have something to protect."

"You're imagination is surprising, I don't need anyone." She spat blood as he slammed her into a metal beam and pinned her with his arm.

"That's where you're wrong. You're a pack animal, Animal. As long as you have that pack, You'll fight Cobra and us. But once they've been stripped away . . . You'll be ours again."

"Won't happen." She surged, pushing him back, the two grappling again. Finally, she was slammed through a wall, and fell a story to be buried in wood and debris. Barely conscious, she managed pressed the button that would bring help to her. Then, mostly through a stubborn force of will, she stayed in the realm between conscious and unconscious. Someone cleared debris off her head, and she barely focused on the face. A glint of metal turned her attention to the collarbone. Somehow, she managed to focus on the X.

"Ten . . ." she wasn't sure if she managed to say it or not.

"I'm sorry, Four . . . I'm so sorry . . ." Time got confusing for Panthera, and she slipped into a memory . . .

"_I'm sorry, Four, I'm so sorry!" The (currently) young man was apologizing frantically as the girl woke up. "If I hadn't gotten beaten by Three, you wouldn't have been hurt."_

"_Stuff it. And stop calling me four, it's Naomi." She pulled her still aching body up, into a ball with her back against the wall. Ten curled next to her. "I'd love to know how this is considered conditioning."Tired, her instincts, and her animal personality, were currently in the back of her mind. _

"_Pain builds character?"The two cuddled to stay warm in the cold cell. "What's with that insanity act, anyway?"_

"_It's not an act . . . It's how I survive." She put her head on his. "And someday, I won't have to struggle with the animal inside."_

"_Love you Naomi." He murmured, ready to sleep. _

"_Yeah . . . Likewise." She kept a weary eye on the door, not quite believing they were going to be left alone, and not wanting to be caught napping._

"Hate you, Ten . . . you left me . . . Twelve . . . to die . . ." She muttered, back in the present.

"I know . . . I'm sorry . . ." She grayed out, her next glimpse of consciousness had Long Range and Leatherneck pulling her out, then all went black.

"Dio, Panthera, what went wrong?" Long Range muttered.

"Someone did a real number on her." Leatherneck shifted her weight so he could carry her out. "She's got bruises that aren't healing."

"Wish I knew what happened . . ."

Not too long later:

"Lifeline, what's going on?" Leatherneck wasn't in a real good mood.

"I got some of Panthera's blood when she got cut by that murmasa blade."

"Oh?" Leatherneck looked at him. "And that is supposed to be important how?"

"Easy, Leatherneck."

"I thought I could run it through the missing person's database."

"Why do I suddenly know there's going to be something bad?"

"Her DNA doesn't match. What's worse, I know why." He looked at him. "Someone took a virtual hammer to her DNA and put in other types."

"Types?"

"She has human DNA, some parts don't add up as being part of the same person. I also have some parts that remind me of Iceberg."

"What's he got to do with it?"

"He got turned into an Orca, remember? He still has stray DNA from that. She's got animal DNA, I think."

"Any toxins?"

"Yeah, Airtight's looking at it right now. Panthera's still out."

"Who's with her?"

"Doc. He wants to try to talk to her."

"But she wouldn't let any of you near."

"Doc never tried to talk to her, one on one." Bree piped up. "He thinks it's more Lifeline and Psyche Out than us as individuals."

"I hope so."

**Moving right along . . . heh. Next: Doc and Panthera have a talk, but what will the outcome be?**


	22. One Step Forward

**One Step Forward**

The room Panthera woke up in was sort of small, a nice blue color, and not the room she had at the hangar.

"You're up." She jerked, dimly recognizing the man as one that the Joes called 'Doc', and the one that helped calm Jess down when it was necesecary to give her a shot. "Take it easy, I'm not going to try anything." Warily, she continued to push herself into a sitting position, ignoring the protest from a sore body. "Whoever it was did a real number on you, you've been out for the better part of two days."

"Why am I here?"

"Because we wanted to keep an eye on your recovery. Airtight found traces of poison in your blood." Doc studied her. "And with those scars on your arm, I imagine that poison kept you from healing."

" . . ."

"You don't have to talk to me. It would just be easier for you in the long run."

"How?"

"I can tell Psyche Out there's no reason for him to evaluate you. I can also help you, if you want it." Panthera shifted, realizing her jacket was missing. "I can help you regain more strength back in your right arm and wrist."

"What makes you think I'm right handed?"

"The fact Kamakura mentioned you were using that sword with a right hand." Doc moved over. "May I?" Panthera discreetly sniffed the air. He didn't smell like the doctors that cobra had. There wasn't the scent of blood and despair or so much antiseptic and cleaner that made her sick. He smelled nicer, more trustworthy. She extended her right hand. "You had your watch on your right wrist. You probably do a good job of hiding it, but I noticed the scars." Her wrist had one huge scar on the back. It extended a little up the back of her hand, but it was mostly in one spot. "Whatever caused it, it damaged the nerves a little. Probably even shifted the bones." He gently poked and prodded, testing her mobility. "It was probably worse when it first happened, wasn't it? It's still a little painful and weak to use."

" . . . When I was escaping the lab, I ran into a nest of poison teeth . . . It's what we called them. They were used as watchdogs in certain spots. Several mauled my right arm. Their mother struck here." She gestured to a scar on her forearm. "I got out, but it took longer for this arm to heal. I was sick for a while . . . don't really remember much of that time."

"And your wrist?"

" . . . They wanted to mark me. But they couldn't tattoo, my body thought of it as an infection and got rid of it." She fidgeted. "Eventually, they . . . welded, a rather elaborate design onto my wrist bones . . . had it poking up through the skin." There was a minute where she didn't respond.

"What happened?"

"I ripped it out." She looked up. "I wanted it out, and . . . it hurt."

"I don't blame you. You were probably thinking they could use it to find you." He released it. "I want to check it out with a few X rays. We can see if they also put a tracking chip anywhere else." He watched her jerk, seeing her look surprised. "You didn't think about that?"

"But they didn't find me." He watched as something clicked. "Damnit!" She struck the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster.

"Well?"

"Maybe I do need your help." She looked at the bed. "But try anything, and I promise you, I won't pull my punches."

"I promise I won't." He smiled and held out his hand. "I'll help you with any aftereffects from Cobra, and I'll do it as painlessly as possible, alright?"

"Alright." She shook on it.

* * *

"NOME!" Several heads turned to see Jess, with all the energy a six year old normally possess, launch and hug Panthera tight around the waist as she entered the cafeteria for lunch.

"Miss me?" Panthera smiled as she returned the hug.

"_You have to have something to protect. You're a pack animal."_ Intimidator's reminder came back, but she quickly shoved it aside.

_I don't care if I am; I never do anything that I don't choose to. _She shook her head, and quietly looked at her team. She wasn't going to admit, not even to herself, but Intimidator was right.

**Okay, so if you'll look at my profile, you'll see that I have more stories. Why? Because everytime I find something I like, I research it, and wind up writing something about it. I've outlined several more stories, on that note. I swear, I never learn.**


	23. Two Steps Back

**Two Steps Back**

Storm woke up slowly, dimly realizing she was in the infirmary.

"Hey Stormy, welcome back." Shipwreck was holding her hand.

"Shipwreck? What hit me?"

"M-Mara stabbed you." He looked down. "I want to thank you . . . for looking after Barney and Claudius . . . You didn't have to go that far."

"Coming from the man that burned down a bar?"

"Point taken . . . So . . . you have partial custody of both of them . . ." He put Beak and Claudius in the bed with her, both boys still tired from their ordeal, and promptly curled up together. "When do we get together?"

"Sorry, dozed off for a moment, what did you just ask?" Shipwreck, either not aware of Storm's mood or not meaning the words quite the way they sounded, said it again.

"I wonder how Storm's doing?" Althea and Todd headed toward the Infirmary.

ZZAP!

"OWCH! Storm!" Shipwreck raced out, Storm right behind him. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Yes, you did!"

"She's fine."

"Yep."

* * *

Zandar silently watched as everyone proceeded to go their separate ways for the day. It sucked big time being the one that was always left behind or ignored. He'd started growing a tail, and his legs weren't supporting his weight for very long . . . Lifeline and doc gave him a wheelchair.

He use to not care about being the one forgotten, Zartan and Zarana always looked out for him, they rarely forgot him. Shifting, he watched Quickstrike head out fo wherever the former mercenary went. Panthera and him were the only ones that rarely mentioned where they went during the day. Now, even Jess and Rick had forgotten about him again!

"Hey, Zandar, you okay?" Zandar jumped, as Crash lumbered into the room.

"Just fine, why?"

"I'm getting a really sickly color of blue and black from you. You normally don't project much." Without invitation he slumped down onto the couch. "And I'm able to see it down the hall. You upset about something. Lying's a weird orangey color by the way."

"Yes . . . I am." Blunt as hell, thy name is Crash . . . or Hugo or whatever his name actually was.

"What about?"

"Oh, I don't know . . . I'm slowly mutating into god knows what, it's really painful, and I can't walk. There's no way to stop it, and the only way to reverse it got destroyed a while ago." Zandar took a breath. "To top it off, my sister is too busy playing kissy face with a joe to take care of me, and everyone else keeps disappearing to I don't know where."

"At least we haven't moved and left you behind. And rick and Jess like you as a pillow during movie time. I'm not soft enough and Junkyard doesn't like it when Jess tugs his ears."

"Not really helping . . . It's like the instant I became this freak, they stopped caring."

"Not true." Techno's voice made him jump again, as she sat down on the couch. "We still care, but things are happening so fast . . . Panthera's been even more busy with making sure we'll be taken care off."

"Yeah, we're not going to abandon you . . . even if we do occasionally leave you alone for a while." Crash glanced up. "Something really happy is coming this way. I think."

"Zanda!" Jess and Rick burst in. "I made you a picture!" Jess held up a crude picture. "See? That's you . . ." She point to a red scribble person in a floating chair with wheels. "This is Rick . . ." It was a tanish figure with black scribble wings. "And me! It took me three days to get it right!" Her figure was wearing a green dress.

"I picked a name!" Rick's wings spread out. "It's going to be Vampyre. Spelled with a 'y' like Spyder!" Crash grinned as Zandar smiled. A blackish figure in the door way caught his attention, and he winked. Panthera gave an almost imperceptible nod to both him and Techno, before leaving.

**Rick's codename has been giving me trouble since I came up with him. I finally figured one out, though. And I managed to completely forget about Zandar! (well, that's not surprising, but still . . .) So I had to get him back into the story . . . next chapter fixes on two of the leading ladies, and (dun dun DUN!) More on the destiny stone!**


	24. Water and Darkness

**Water and Darkness**

"Are you okay?" Long Range looked up at Panthera as she entered the living area in the hangar.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She sat down on a chair.

"You've been talking to Doc, an awful lot."

"He found a chip in my spine." She scowled, almost absently. "We're working on a way for him to operate."

"What would be the problem?"

"I'm immune to anathesia. And if the cut is deep enough, it heals right away." She absently tapped her fingers on the arm.

"That is a problem- wait, how can you be immune? It's supposed to make you sleep."

"From some of the blood tests, they also messed with my adrenal glands. I'm producing way too much adrenaline and other hormones. When the sedative is given, my body tries to reject it. So I wind up sick."

"Sounds fun . . ."

"Yeah, well, once Doc figures away to make my body chemistry regulate back to some version of normal, I'll be able to feel emotions again."

"You're messed up that bad?"

"My body chemistry might as well been put in a blender and frapped. If I was human I would be dead."

"Healing factor is useful for something, huh?"

"Yeah, keeping me alive." Panthera's thoughts went elsewhere for a moment.

"Panthera, We've got a mission." Techno tapped her shoulder. She glanced up. "Just five of us, me, Marina, Wetsuit, Long Range and you."

"Then let's go hear it." She pulled herself up.

"_So, what does all that medical nonsense mean?" She looked at Doc, who was holding a file. _

"_It means that you're probably in so much pain that you don't even realize it anymore." Doc looked at her. "You can't tell when you've pushed past your limit, not until you collapse. In some ways, you're nerve dead. Your healing factor is all that keeps you alive."_

"_But I can still do missions."She looked at him. _

"_I wouldn't recommend it." Doc sighed. "But yes, you can. You're an incredibly strong individual. But you'd be stronger once we find a way to detoxify your system."_

"_What about the . . . extra stuff?" She noted Tunnel Rat walking past. _

"_It very likely won't emerge. I'd really like to get Lifeline in on this."_

"_I don't want him touching me."_

"_May I at least get Airtight? He'll be able to help me find antibodies that are in your blood, and we'll be able to boost them."_

"_He's fine."_

"_Now about the chip in your spine . . ."_

Panthera looked up at Flint as he entered the small conference room. _I could really care less whether I live or not. But at least this way, I stand a chance at getting back at Cobra._

"Alright, thanks to techno and Zarana, we've identified at least one of the possible bases. It's an old dam that flooded back in the 1930's, near the Canadian border. There's a newer one that's farther downriver, but most of the inside is intact." He glanced at Techno, she obligingly projected a picture of a half submerged dam. "There's no telling how safe the structure is, so be careful."

"Techno, you might want to get your waterproof casing on."

"I'm already waterproof."

"That was a joke, right?" Marina looked at Long Range.

"Yes, that was." Long Range sighed as Techno stared at him. "We need to work on your sense of humor."

"So get ready, Lift Ticket will fly you out." Flint nodded.

* * *

"This, is a creepy place." Arcade remarked to no one in particular. The Misfits, with Lowlight and Spirit were in a flooded dam.

"Then you should be right at home." The quip that Quicksilver was going to make was taken by a familiar voice. Panthera and her team descended the stairs. "What's new?"

"Looking for Dr. Mindbender and his mutations lab." Althea glanced at Marina, who was in her alien form, then she did a double take. "A purple wetsuit?"

"Wetsuit got it for me. I like it." She crossed her arms.

"What about you?" Blob looked at Panthera.

"Well, we've got a similar deal. We'll stay out of your way if you stay out of ours?" Panthera looked at Wavedancer.

"Deal."

The insides of the dam were twisted beyond recognition. Stairs were twisted so that they were upside down.

"We need a better travel agent." Toad hopped up on a twisted steel beam. A splash followed by another revealed Wetsuit and Marina doing what they did best. Both came back up rather quickly.

"Need to be careful, there's a current going into an open grate, real strong." Wetsuit called out to Althea. "Doesn't look like there's anything,"

"Get out of the water!" Panthera shouted. Both didn't question it, not until they were on dry ground.

"Panthera, what?" She cut her hand on a rock and tossed it into the center. Something big, scaly, and with teeth lunged up. Everyone froze as it sank back down. "What was that?!"

"Something big, mean, and hungry." Lowlight glanced down at the water. He could just make out the creature's outline as it went deeper. "No one gets in the pool."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Quicksilver gulped. "Bleeding is also not a good idea, right?"

"Right." Long Range absently checked his rifle. Wetsuit went with him through an opening in the rock, while Marina followed Techno to a intact door. Well, it wasn't intact for very long. The Blob opened it for them, and then he, Arcade, Xi and Toad followed them. The other Misfits slipped into groups leaving Althea and Panthera alone. Whether that was by accident or design, no one later was ever sure.

"Aren't you going with your team?"

"Aren't you?" Panthera absently jumped up onto the catwalk Althea was on. "Need to talk to you for a second, anyway."

"Alright, what about?"

"Do you- Look out!" metal flashed through the air as she got in between Althea and the metal spike. _Intimidator. What is he doing here?_ Unfortunately, it was shaping up to not be her day, as a second and third spike took out the thin supports keeping the catwalk up. It tipped both girls into the water.

_Something pushed me!_ Althea was grateful for the gills, worrying about holding her breathe would be a problem. She reached Panthera, who was holding the spike that had pierced her shoulder. _That thing's coming around again!_ Panthera was a good swimmer, but without gills, that made it hard for her to fight for long periods underwater.

_I'm going to kill something. _Panthera dove down. Narrowly missing a large toothy jaw.

Something silver slashed in between Althea and Panthera. Followed by several more. Unwittingly on the part of the one firing, they hit the creature.

_Freaking bad day. _Panthera cursed in her mind. Wetsuit hadn't been exaggerating about the current.

With the spikes raining down from the surface, they were caught between a rock and a hard place, which didn't bode well for either.

The current won out.

"Ah!" Panthera gasped. She wasn't a hydrophobe, but she couldn't say she cared for being trapped under water for long periods of time.

"You okay?" Althea pulled herself up on the rocky ledge.

"Fine, you?"

"I think so." She slumped down. "Your jacket's gone."

"I know, it was dragging me down." She pushed herself up, giving Althea a good view of Two parallel scars running down her back.

"Wh- Where are we?" Althea glanced around. It was a rocky cavern with a river.

"Beats me. You're bleeding, by the way." Absently, she took out the handgun and checked it. "Stop staring at my arm." Althea winced. She hadn't meant to stare.

"Sorry . . . they look painful."

"They were." She glanced at Althea. "That cut on your arm is going to make a good scar." Althea scowled at the gash on her arm. The edges of her skin were tinged green.

"How does it get infected that fast?"

"Beats me." Panthera scowled back at the water. "But I can't imagine it was clean water we just swam through." She put her gun back and seemed to wrestle with something internally for a moment. "Close your eyes, and don't open them till I say so. I'm going to fix your arm." Althea hesitated, then shrugged.

"Fine." She kept her eyes closed. Something like wet sandpaper rubbed the wound. She kept her eyes closed until whatever it was stopped and Panthera told her to open them again. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Panthera absently rinsed her mouth out and spitting before drinking some water. Something clicked.

"You li-!" Wavedancer had her statement cut off by Panthera holding her hand over her mouth.

"Don't." She let go.

"You licked my arm, what good would that," She glanced down to see the gash almost closed. "Do?" She looked up.

"Don't know how it works. Only works on other people though." Panthera glanced away. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"How do you know you could do that?"

" . . . I was . . . more animal like for a while. Moved on all fours, that sort of thing. There was . . . a group of children younger than me. One of them had been cut up and left to die in my cell . . . they wanted to see if I would eat him." She glanced away. "But I didn't. I took care of him. His wounds healed up, and they decided he was worth keeping."

"You really are nice." Panthera looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I'm not." She got up.

"Well, well, well. You survived the water." Intimidator appeared from a tunnel.

"No thanks to you, Intimidator."

"Aw, you didn't miss us?" Panthera glared at the dark haired young man that stopped his superfast run on another rock. "Your friend's cute."

"Mach One." She scowled. "Why don't you two take a hike?"

"Now, is that anyway to treat your brothers?"

"You're no brothers of mine." Panthera heard Althea move right behind her. "I'm never going back to Cobra."

"You know, you really should be more loyal to us. We did promise we'd stay together."

"To escape cobra! Then you decided to roll over and act like a dog!" She growled. "The only two that didn't were ten and twelve, and you took the latter away from me!"

"Aw, the momma lion wants her cub back . . ." Mach One laughed.

"With all the scars you have, I'm surprised you're still looking for him." Intimidator's skin slowly turned metallic. "That is why you keep destroying the labs, isn't it?"

"Yeah, with your loyalty to him, maybe you should come back."

"It's not loyalty to anyone but myself." Panthera growled out.

"I wouldn't try fighting us."

"And why not?" Mach One blurred, heading straight toward Althea.

"Hya!"

"Whoa!!" Althea flipped him into a rock face.

"This is why training with Quicksilver is a good thing." She smirked. Then winced at the sudden throbbing of her hand.

"That wasn't very nice!" Mach one got up and brushed himself off. There wasn't a scratch.

"Mach One has superspeed and invulnerable skin like the Blob." Panthera offered, her attention on Intimidator. "He has one psychic ability, and that's an illusion that makes the scenery start to move on you."

"Would have been helpful before now."

* * *

"Lab's been cleaned out." Long Range scowled and kicked a trashcan.

"Hey, have you seen Wavedancer?" As the teams met up in the lab, they noticed one other absence. "Where's Panthera?"

"Wavedancer, it's Low Light. Where are you?" Nothing but static.

"Panthera, Long Range, what's your situation?" No one was able to raise them.

"Think they're okay?"

"Panthera might be, Althea always answers, so her not answering isn't good."

"Wonder if they fought?"

"Great, Althea got hurt by Panthera- OW!" Long Range hit Quicksilver.

"Panthera's not like that!" Techno also agreed with Marina's statement.

"I'm sorry, what do you call someone that kills without blinking?"

"Funny, isn't that what the Joes do?" Long Range went cold. "That's what I've been trained to do . . . Low Light's been trained the same way."

"Yeah, but she enjoys it!"

"The argument isn't helping us find them." Techno spoke up. "And Panthera only kills vipers."

* * *

"This, is not going well." Panthera coughed up blood briefly, before glaring at Intimidator.

"Invulnerable skin doesn't mean you can't drown."

"Neither does having gills on your neck!" Both Mach One and Wavedancer went under the water.

"For the love of . . ." Panthera glanced up, then shrugged. "I go down, I'm taking you with me." Something Roared in the tunnels, and both comabatants froze. "Now what? Ah!" A spike went through her middle, and Intimidator headed to the water. "Crap." She coughed up blood. Two large glowing red eyes appeared in one of the tunnels.

Things were not looking good, for either of the heroines. But destiny had other plans for the two. Or rather, the destiny stone.

As Intimidator approached the water, a section began to glow a deeper shade of blue. Then water erupted upwards, forming a dragon of water. Panthera watched in shock as the water fell back down revealing . . . a woman dressed in a deep blue Haori, with dark bamboo armor, and a sword on her back. She looked eerily like Althea, but yet . . . not like her. Not-Althea was standing on the water, her eyes glowing a deep blue. The monster lunged out of the tunnels, and the water moved in a sliver arc, cutting off it's head. Intimidator was dragged down into the water, and then Not-Althea turned her attention to Panthera.

Panthera shrank back as Not Althea approached. The power coming from her . . . made her head hurt. Not-Althea stopped, looking down at her.

"_**You were given the sword for a reason, warrior child of darkness."**_ The voice was like waves crashing on the shore. "_**Your loyalty to those you protect is great, but you must learn to trust.**_"

"Who are you?" Panthera regained her composure.

"Y_**ou may call me Mizuryu.**_" Panthera blinked, and suddenly, Althea was herself again. Well, except for unconscious and about to fall and hit her head. Panthera caught her.

"Like my life needed any more complications right now . . ." Panthera muttered, moving to caryy Althea on her back. "Warrior child of darkness, yeah right." But Not-Althea had given her an idea . . . a way to get stronger, as hands on was clearly not working. "Let's find a way to the others, I want to get dry."

**Heh . . . um, is that okay? Please read and review . . . **

**Next up, the sexual harassment seminar! And the chapter after that, we'll be chillin' with the villains, and seeing what else is out there . . . **


	25. Swords and Sexual Harassment

**Swords and Sexual Harrasment**

Panthera slumped onto the cot that currently served as her bed. Getting back had been a mess.

"_Althea!"_

"_What did you do?"_

"_Rescued her. What else would I do?" Panthera passed her to Toad. "Long Range, Radio Lift Ticket, we need to get going."_

"_Wait a second what's wrong with Althea!"_

"_. . ." Panthera looked at the Misfits. For a moment, she contemplated telling them about Not-Althea, what had it called itself? Oh, right, Mizuryu. Then she decided against it. "Beats me."_

"_What did you do?"_

"_I didn't do anything!"_

"_She really didn't." Everyone jerked as Althea groggily looked at them. "Thanks for saving me, again. I think that's three times." Panthera stared at her a moment. _

She doesn't remember what she did . . . _"Tch, Don't expect it to be a habit. I've got better things to do than pull your bacon off the fire." Althea just smiled. _

Panthera came back to the present with a scowl. She should've checked to make sure Intimidator and Mach One were dead, not that she cared, but having two less opponents to worry about would have been good. Growling, she looked at the sword and scroll she had retrieved from her hiding spot.

"I don't want you. I don't want to be loyal to anyone or anything but myself." Some part of her wondered at talking to a sword. She absently picked it up. "But I need to get stronger . . . so I can finish what I've started." Her thumb traced the hilt. "And you're my only chance right now." Taking a deep breath, she put the sword on her back, hilt peaking over her right shoulder. For a moment, she extended her claws. They could cut through steel and concrete, but they were only three inches long and only really good for close quarter fighting, they weren't that strong either, she reflected looking at one that had been formerly ripped out when she had fought with Intimidator. The sword was strangely comfortable at her back. She glanced at the scroll, and then put it away again. "Not yet . . . not till after I talk to someone."

* * *

Kamakura finished the cool down stretch, wondering where his sensei had wandered off to. Turning, he was surprised to see Panthera standing there, clearly not aware of the custom of taking off her shoes before entering. _Although, she'd probably not care even if she did know._ "Do you need me for something?"

"How good are you with your sword?" Kamakura's mind temporarily blanked. Somehow, she read his distress through the mask. "You know, Sword? Sharp shiny metal thing that can cut people's heads off?"

"I know what a sword is." Kamakura recovered. "I'm alright . . .sensei and Storm Shadow are better, though . . . why?" Even as he asked, his attention was drawn to her right shoulder. _She looks beautiful like that. I mean cool!_

"Because, I need to learn how to use this sword. I found it for a reason, I might as well make use of it." _I don't want to know what he thought I was asking._ Panthera crossed her arms.

"I'll ask Sensei, he's been helping Rick and Jess learn some self defense." Kamakura flinched as Snake Eyes walked into the room. "Sensei." Snake Eyes just signed something, and looked at Panthera.

"I don't know sign language." Panthera glanced at Kamakura.

"He says he would be honored to teach you." He noted her look, "You do have a pretty powerful legendary sword."

"It's a sword, Kamakura, not the Holy Grail." She looked at him, clearly non-plussed.

_Well, she understands that much. _Snake Eyes studied her. _I think we're going to have to teach her how to sign, before we can get to more advance things, but it'll be fine for right now. _He pointed at her shoes and jacket, then at a hook on the wall.

"You need to take your shoes off and Jacket. You can leave the sword on." Kamakura explained at her confused look. She raised an eyebrow, but complied. "You're going to need a training gi later." She looked like she was going to say something but changed her mind. Kamakura's attention got sidetracked, as he noticed the scars on her arm.

"Stop staring at my arm." She sighed. Maybe she should try wearing long sleeves at some point. She liked wearing the jackets though.

"Sorry . . ." Kamakura winced. He'd seen his sensei's face and that was scarred worse than her arm.

"Remember that nine legged spider we fought?" Kamakura nodded. "Ran into one of them that had a nest. It's offspring tried to eat me alive . . . right arm never healed as well as the rest of me, since momma spider stung me." She waved it at him, "Now, can we please start?"

Snake Eyes nodded, and got her attention.

* * *

"Let's see . . . General Whithalf is coming in a week, Shipwreck got banned from another bar, Wetsuit and Leatherneck got in a fight with each other . . . Zarana and Mainframe are dating openly . . ." General Hawk looked through the papers on his desk. "Sexual Harassment Seminar is today . . . Crap!" getting up, he winced as he hit his knee on his desk. "Duke! Sgt. Slaughter!"

"Why, exactly, do we have to see this?" Panthera sat next to Althea. It seemed to be an unspoken rule that the girls had to sit away from the guys.

"I haven't a clue." Althea sighed. "Sexual harassment on this base is a myth." She slumped in her seat. "Where's your jacket?" She chose not to comment about the sword, or lack of handgun.

"Jess took it." She pointed at the little girl that was wearing it. "Do the kids need to be here?"

"My sisters definetly do."

"I give it about an hour after this is over before everyone reverts back to normal. What do you think?" Panthera looked at her.

"I don't think we'll make it through the seminar."

"I thought I was supposed to be the pessimist?"

"You are, I just know everyone better." Althea glanced around. "Doesn't help we're all in our in-field uniforms, either." Terri was in a play pen with Beak and Lil'C. Mutt and Covergirl were next to it, Junkyard was also in it, allowing the babies to tug on his ears and tail.

"This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"

"We're taking bets." Scarlett leaned forward between the two. "You know how they ask for volunteers for skits? Hawk got roped into being the first 'offender'."

"You're joking." Althea looked at her.

"No joke, I was there." Lady Jaye smiled, also leaning in.

"Hawk won't be able to do this, will he?"

"Althea, You're right, we won't make it through the seminar." Panthera looked toward the platform.

"Why?" The four looked to see a woman in a dress uniform, hair pulled back in a severe bun, and the general aura of an iceberg.

"Joes, allow me to introduce Captain Sandra Rivers, She's hear to give the Sexual harassment talk."

"Thank you, I'm sure you're all aware of how to be professional, so I'm sure this will go smoothly."

It went downhill from there.

First there was an video. With really bad acting, and a rather pointless plot, surrounding the interactions of a female worker and her boss. Right after that, there was a powerpoint on a Traffic light system that supposedly showed what was way to far, and what was acceptable. And after there was a Question and Answer session.

I can see some of you realizing just how it went down.

"Why didn't the woman just tell her boss no?" Marina raised her hand.

"Because it is very hard for someone to stand up to a higher authority."

"But wouldn't it have been easier for her just to use a taser or something?"

"Most people do not carry tasers."

"What about other weapons? We have a lot of them." Crash joined in.

"It would have to be my team . . ." Panthera muttered. "Though I don't get it either. Someone puts you into an uncomfortable position, you fight back, you don't let them do whatever they want."

"That's us. And just wait, Xi raised his hand." Althea sighed.

"What about hugs? Are they in the green light section?"

"No, yellow light, you could offend someone."

"Our Hugs offend you?" Marina and Xi both looked at their teammates.

"No. Nope, I don't care. Not anymore." And so on.

"Regardless, you should ask permission before hugging someone."

"Do I have to ask too?" Jess stood on a chair to be seen. The woman blanked.

"Yes."

"What abou the married joes?" Jess looked innocent.

"If they're married, they should keep sexual contact to their quarters." Panthera frowned, and gently tugged her down.

"I don't get it." Jess looked up at her.

"Don't worry, you don't have to." As Cpt. Rivers continued the Q&A, Panthera turned to Althea. "She does realize that this group has occasionally had to share bunkrooms and get really close on missions, right? When you work with people so close, you tend to ignore normal personal boundaries."

"From the way she's acting, I doubt she's gotten any for a few years." Althea looked at her. "You're bored."

"I want this over with." She leaned back and stretched. "All the guys already know that no matter what their rank is, the women won't have a problem beating them to a pulp if they don't want to do something."

"Well, looks like we're going to move onto skits."

"Would Codename Wavedancer please come up?" Althea looked at Panthera.

"Not gonna comment." Panthera coughed.

"Niether am I." Wanda looked amused. "Think anyone told her we're mutants?"

"I don't think anyone told her you're teenagers." Lady Jaye pointed at the Ice woman's shock.

"Wavedancer . . . an unusual codename . . ."

"I'm a mutant that's Hydrokinetic and can breathe underwater . . ." Althea accepted the script. Hawk looked like he wanted to bolt. Not that anyone could blame him.

"Mutant?"

"Yeah, mutant, you know, person with an X gene that has powers?" Quicksilver called out.

"We're off . . ." Panthera shook her head, "Wanda, you want to shut up your brother?"

"That's going to cause more trouble." Lady Jaye frowned at her. Low Light silenced Quicksilver while they were talking.

"Oh, let her, Jaye. I'm bored and there's absolutely no reason to watch the skits . . . Breaker got lucky when he had to stay in the control room." Scarlett grinned. "Besides, Hawk needs the rescue."

"I'm with Scarlett on this one." Raven muttered. "Have the sprinklers go off." Hawk was trying to read the lines, Althea and him were both trying not to laugh.

"You got it." Wanda flicked a hand. Shouts of dismay (and a few of joy) sounded. Then chaos sprang out.

* * *

"Can't any of you behave for a few minutes?" Hawk, more out of pro forma than anything, addressed them in a still slightly damp room. "Scarlet Witch, did you have to set off the sprinklers?"

"Sorry General, it was an accident!" Wanda looked as innocent as possible.

"Good thing for you Hawk, you were having trouble with your lines!" Sci Fi's drawl made Hawk glare at him as a couple others laughed.

"Shipwreck, how many women in the service have you alienated?"

"She wasn't an icicle back then!" Shipwreck called out. "And she put the moves on me!"

"Duke, Flint . . . Snake Eyes, was it nessecary for you three to run and hide?"

"No comment, Hawk." Duke and Flint looked innocent.

"Scarlett, did you have to use a trick bolt when the Captain was talking to Storm Shadow?"

"My safety got turned off!" Scarlett glanced at Storm Shadow, who nodded.

"Thanks." He muttered when Hawk's attention turned elsewhere.

"Mainframe, Dial Tone, Alpine, Bazooka, Quickstrike . . . you were playing poker during the seminar?"

"Sorry, mon, it was a scheduled game."

"Yeah, we were listening!"

"To what?"

"Bazooka! Dum-dum . . ." Alpine groaned.

"Long Range and Kamakura . . . you were playing BattleShip?!" The two hid the boards behind their backs. "Cross Country, Dusty, Footloose, Rock n' Roll, Heavy Metal . . . why were you having a tic-tac-toe tournament?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" Dusty looked as innocent as possible. Hawk sighed.

"Bree, was it nessecary to kiss Lifeline in front of her?"

"I was just proving a point!" Bree was sitting next to her husband.

"Zandar did you have to scare her?"

"I didn't mean to camoflauge!" Zandar retorted. "I've been doing it unconsciously all day!"

"He really has." Techno spoke up.

"Outcasts, was it nessecary for Marina to ask what type of condom the captain lived in?" Ignoring the snickers and laughs, Hawk looked at them.

"Marina meant condominium! She just . . . didn't get all of the word." Zarana shrugged. "We've been having trouble with some large words."

"It was still hilarious." Tunnel Rat smirked.

"Falcon, did you have to hit on her?"

"She was good looking! I'm trying to move on!"

"By hitting on anything in a skirt?" Zarana called out.

"Shut up!"

"Oh, that's mature." Jinx shook her head.

"Blob, Toad, and Quicksilver . . . what did you say to her that made her run?"

"We asked if sexual harassment would apply to Xi, since he's neuter."

"Except it came out, Neutered." Blob admitted. "But it was a valid question!"

"See! I'm not the only one with word trouble!"

"Renegades . . . what's this I hear about a sbd contest?"

"SPD?" Firestar looked up.

"SBD, Silent But Deadly . . ." Panthera leaned forward. "In other words, they were competeing to see who had the most pungent, but silent, fart."

"Yuck!" Dragonfly shuddered.

"Try having a supersensitive nose." Panthera made a face.

Hawk sighed. "The good news is she's going to clear us from the list."

"What's the bad news?" Sgt. Slaughter called out.

"She wants to train someone to be a . . . well, a police officer for the infringements." Hawk saw everyone look down. "So for a month, Lady Jaye will be having frequent meetings with Captain Rivers."

"What!"

**Heh . . . it's nowhere near as crazy as I was aiming for . . . but there was too much stuff to put in! I think I'll save a few for later . . . **


	26. Fun with Villains

**Fun with Villains**

Now, I'm sure everyone's wondering what was going on at the bad guys end.

Not really? Well, too bad, you're going to find out anyway.

Apocalypse had settled into his Mayan temple, recovering rather swiftly from his defeat in the nexus, and easily getting all the information he needed about the world. Along with some he didn't need.

"Wisteria Lane-" The beginning of Desperate Housewives paused.

"I'll have to watch it after the news . . ." Apocalypse tapped the arm of his throne. "The new technology is rather useful." He was already setting up a small office of business in each continent, and had hired several people that clearly wouldn't be able to find their way out of a paper bag unless they had a GPS, and who definetly wouldn't realize there was no point to their jobs other than to do work and get paid. Stock market was also proving useful. "Now . . . I need to collect an army . . . no horsemen, just yet . . . just some minions that will follow me."

Magneto was on a similar mission, looking to replace Pyro. He found the mutant he was looking for, a young girl in goth makeup eyebrow and nose pirecings, and poorly died black hair had run away from home. She could psychically cause spontaneous combustion.

Her name was Ember.

Emma Frost's return to Hellfire club caused a stir, but not as great as what everyone feared. There was however, an interesting incident with Mastermind, Pierce, and a Karekoke bar that no one dared to comment on.

Cobra, however was another story.

While Cobra Commander, Destro, the Baroness, and Zartan were hatching a new plot (quite literally as it later turned out) Another, more sinister plot was afoot.

Dr. Moreau met with Dr. McDougal in one of the labs, both playing chess and talking about the escaped two of the twelve.

"Ten isn't much to worry about. Four's the one that's turned violent against us." McDougal scowled. "She's destroyed so many bases and much of our work . . . killed four scientists and five more have been captured by G.I. Joe. You should've let me break her my way."

"And have her turn out like Two?" Moreau just scowled at a file. "One and Three returned badly beaten from trying to retrieve her. It's safe to say your approach isn't working."

"Well neither is your, sit tight and wait for her to come back approach." McDougal picked up a pawn and took Moreau's knight. "I thought taking Twelve out of her sight would have made her more obedient, but that made her hate us all the more."

"Hmm." Moreau thought a moment, then sighed. "One and Two have confirmed there is still a need to help Twelve. She's probably destroying the bases so we can't hide him anywhere but with us."

"If Twelve goes with her, we'll lose a valuable card in this game." McDougal smirked, taking Moreau's queen. "But Twelve is more than willing to obey me. Fear does work to train."

"Yes, but my approach has secured the rest . . . Four is my project, I will break her the way I chose." Moreau smiled. "Checkmate."

"Queen's sacrifice . . . your favorite move." Mcdougal scowled at the board, before resetting. "She's the queen of your pieces, is she not? The one that can move anywhere."

"You're waxing poetic, but yes. Four is my achievement."

"Her powers aren't awakened."

"But by now, they're so much apart of her dna that even I couldn't erase them out. They'll wake on their own, now. In situations of high emotion."

"What about the inhibitors?"

"They'll wear off . . . especially if she keeps getting seriously injured. New, clean blood. I could also send Mutate after her."

"Is that why One has been hurting her?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, she hasn't bled enough to clean it out." He paused the game, "And what new instructions have you received from T?"

"We're to proceed with Project Thirteen as planned. All the DNA has been gathered." He looked up. "But your kitten has been causing trouble. The pack she's gotten together has joined G.I. Joe and become a nuisance."

"Don't worry, she won't be able to stop Thirteen from happening."

"And how do you plan to stop her?"

"Tracking chip in her spine. When she enters the base, it'll cause her pain and make her collapse."

"And if she pushes past the pain? She's done it before."

"To do so she'd have to let her inner animal take control . . . and that beast even thought Ten was an enemy to her. They won't be a problem." Moreau smirked. "With her fear of labs, she wouldn't even dare go to the goody two shoes medic the Joes have. Let alone allow herself to be operated on."

"If you're sure," The game continued.

Miles off shore, and quite some distance underwater, there was an elaborate mansion type house. Here, Mara swam, entering the Mansion.

"I see you failed." The Atlantean at the ornate desk looked up.

"There was interference." Mara cuddled into her new husband. "A mutant named Storm. She apparently likes my former husband."

"No matter. We'll get your charming daughters another way." He nuzzled her neck. "They'd have a better life, here under the sea. And my power would be solidified in the council."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, my love."

**And now we know what Mara was really after . . .**

"And knowing is a good reason to commit Matricide!" Althea crossed her arms.

**Sorry . . . you don't get to kill her. **

"Why not?"

"Now, is that anyway to talk about your mother?" Mara walked in.

"After said mother tried to commit Infantcide, yes!" Althea glared.

"You haven't given us any screen time!" The Baroness walked in. "Even in this chapter!"

**That's because . . . uh . . . well . . .**

"She's trying to shift off the well known Cobra villains for right now." Panthera with Long Range in tow walked in. "Especially since Project Thirteen is in full swing . . ."

**Is it just me, or is it getting crowded in here?**

"It's not just you." Althea grumbled. "This story is practically all about Panthera! Sure, you've moved the plot with me and the destiny stone forward, but this is ridiculous!"

"Did you miss the part where this was just going to be fifty chapters?" Panthera looked at her. "And do you seriously want to be the star of this?"

"No, not really . . ." Althea crossed her arms. "Is she seriously going to fit everything in fifty chapters?"

**Right now . . . it's closer to fifty five . . .**

"Give her a break, she's running into writers block on all her stories." Long Range sighed.

"Yeah, and she still has two completely unfinished works!"

**Thinking of deleting them! Yeah, don't actually want to, but I might have to, or mark them as complete for right now . . . have to delete one . . . **

"Excuse me, why am I not getting any screen time?" Logan walked in.

**I'm just going to end it here folks, and beat them back into submission . . . See you!**


	27. Chapter with no Name

**So, I was sitting in class one day, and realized that I virtually have no social life. At all. I work, go to classes, and I do homework and fanfiction. **

**I'm currently trying to change that . . . but so far, haven't met anyone worth the time to date. And those I do meet are already taken . . . **

**Sorry for the rant, and now:**

**Chapter With No Name**

Zarana glanced up from the table as two doors slammed. "What just happened?"

"Long Range and Panthera just had a lovers spat." Zandar rolled up. "Not a clue as to what it was about."

"I think friends with benefits describe those two's relationship better than lovers." Leatherneck muttered as he sat down. Mutt was feeding Terri. "You know what they were arguing about?"

"The lab Techno found . . . Long Range doesn't want Panthera to go." Quickstrike sat down. "He's worried that the chip would make her obvious to them."

"And she doesn't like being coddled all that much." Wetsuit grabbed a water bottle. A moment later Panthera walked past them, slamming the door on her way out of the hangar. "If at all."

"She's going to the dojo again." Zandar looked out the window. "Anyone else think Kamakura has a crush on her?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Way he looks at her." Zandar couldn't grip his fork right. "Not to mention anytime he's with them, he's standing right next to her, on whatever side Long Range isn't occupying." He gave up and started eating with his fingers.

"Great, an Outcast love triangle." Zarana sighed.

"Speaking of Love triangles, you know about the Avalanche/Shadowcat/Colossus one right?"

"What about it?"

"Shadowcat broke up with both of them last night."

"How long is this going to last?"

"From what I'm hearing, permantely. She's been avoiding them for a while."

"Any new beaus?"

"Nope. She has become a sort of in betweener for the morlocks and X-men though." Wetsuit crossed his arms on the table. "There's a rumor she's seeing one of them, but she's denying it."

"Isn't she a little vain for that?"

"Don't ask me. I didn't interact with her much." Wetsuit tapped a pattern on the table. "How's it going with Mainframe?" Zarana choked on her water, Leatherneck pounding her on the back a moment.

"I wasn't aware this was going to be a relationship talk."

"Hey, I'm bored, and haven't had much luck with dating recently. I'm surprised the two of you are even civil to each other, after what happened."

"Yeah, well . . . It's going fine . . ." Zarana absently ran her had through her hair. She was going to have to cut it soon. "Going to meet his kids soon."

"You're that far already?" Mutt looked up.

"We've gotten to third base a few times." She shifted. "What about you, any women lining up because of Terri?"

"Only a couple, unfortunately, there are a few that find her . . ." He trailed off.

"Don't see how, she's adorable." Wetsuit looked at Zandar. "What?"

"We still need to finalize who gets who." Leatherneck sighed.

"I call Marina." Wetsuit looked up.

"I'll take Crash." Quickstrike looked up. "Long Range is eighteen, so we don't have to worry about him."

"I'll take Panthera." Leatherneck nodded. "She respects me a little."

"Since you've managed to talk her down from killing some scientists, I won't argue that." Zarana nodded. "Mutt has Terri . . . I can take Jess and Rick."

"What about Techno?"

"I'll take her too." Zarana tapped the table.

"Why can't I take one?"

"Zandar, your condition?"

"I'll take Rick as well." Mutt sighed. "Let's stick to two each for now."

"Mm . . . maybe two older teens and one younger child, just incase someone decides to mess with us." Zarana shrugged.

"Or I could take one!"

"Zandar, you can't even hold a fork and there's no telling when you might have a seizure . . ."

"That works. But Long Range will still need a guardian." Leatherneck ignored Zandar's pout.

"I can take him as well." Wetsuit volunteered. "Kamakura's with us right?"

"Yes, but Snake Eyes has custody. We'll need a second adult for him."

"I'll take him under wing as well." Quickstrike volunteered.

"Alright, so Leatherneck has Panthera, Wetsuit has Marina and Long Range, Quickstrike has Crash and Kamakura, Mutt has Terrier and Vampyre, I have Jess and Techno . . . Guess you get the next one we recruit, Leatherneck."

"Joy . . ." Leatherneck scowled. "We have a lot of young kids, don't we?"

"Misfits have two toddlers and four thirteen/fourteen years."

"And most of them belong to Shipwreck." Zarana shrugged. "I'm surprised he's a good parent, with all the stuff that he does."

"Tell us something we don't know."

"I know. But . . . in some ways, the kids we have are younger." Leatherneck brought them back on track.

"Most of them never had a chance at a childhood . . ." Zarana nodded, playing with her cup. "I've been trying to workout how long Panthera was on the streets . . . it can take up to half a year to get a reputation in the underworld. She's also said she met Long Range almost a year after she escaped cobra . . . and then found Techno and Marina within a month of each other. Then I joined them after Crash, at the two year mark of her escaping Cobra. Then there was about half a year before we joined the Joes . . . But the references she makes . . . She must've been captured when she was young."

"You think she spent **years** in a lab?" Leatherneck looked up.

"Would explain her intense hatred of Cobra, more than a quick incarceration." Zandar looked up. "Scars on her back . . . she had a mutant suppression collar on long enough for them to form."

"That . . . **would** take awhile, wouldn't it?" Mutt looked up.

"She's got less noticeable scars on her left arm and the rest of her back . . . Doc thinks they're from her struggling when they were injecting things into her." Leatherneck's voice was cold. "But she won't say anything."

"Still mad about her slashing at you?" Wetsuit watched as Leatherneck absently rubbed his face.

"Not about that, it's the fact she . . . seems to think that we wouldn't help her if she told us what's wrong." He scowled. "Doc's only getting half of the picture, we're getting less than half of that."

"What picture?" Flint walked in.

"Outcast problem, not yours." Leatherneck glanced at Zarana. "What's up?"

"We've checked out the area of the base . . . there's something there, all right." Flint glanced around. "We need to talk about it. Everyone."

"I'll call the Dojo." Zarana moved to the phone. As Leatherneck bellowed up the stairs, Junkyard lifted his head, he stopped paying attention to what the humans were talking about a while ago. Thunder sounded down the stairs as Jess came down, Junkyard remained still as she tackled him. It was going to be a long briefing.

Everyone had settled in the living area, when Panthera and the two ninjas came in, Panthera noticeably not standing near Long Range.

"Geothermal image is showing a large base. They're shielded, but whoever designed the shield forgot to take into account too much shielding looks like a cold spot in the earth." He held up a picture. "We don't know how far along they are, they could already have made Serpentor and are waiting for their move, but we need the base destroyed. You'll be sent in, and everyone else will be briefed. You need to call for the second wave once you can confirm what state the project is in." Panthera shifted and he looked at her. "Stop the project at any and all cost, but you have to call us in afterwards." She settled back down, he'd just given her permission to give no quarter.

"Crash, Zandar, Vampyre, Terrier and Jess are staying. Mutt, do you want to stay with Terri or come with us?"

"I'm coming with." Junkyard growled in agreement.

"You'll leave tonight, that gives you twelve hours to get everything together . . . Hawk's gotten more dragonflys for your use, they're unmarked."

"Good enough." Panthera nodded. "Let's get ready."

* * *

"No." Storm Shadow crossed his arms, "Snake Eyes, I respect your opinion, but giving the outcasts any ninja training other than self defense is a mistake. Especially Panthera!" Jinx and the Blind Master were sitting nearby, it was always amusing to watch if Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes had a disagreement. Especially when you didn't know Snake Eyes was there. "You're not listening, the girl doesn't need any more training, she's close enough to a low level ninja already . . . I know she has the sword, but she'd be too dangerous!"

"Did I miss something?" Kamakura entered, and looked at Jinx.

"What do you think of Panthera's personality?"

"She's kind. Looks out for her pack." Kamakura shifted. "I like her." Jinx did a double take.

"Do I detect a crush?" Blind Master smiled as he turned his head towards Kamakura.

"Not like that! She likes Long Range, anyway . . . though they are arguing right now."

"Fine! Do what you want! I can't very well stop you." Storm Shadow crossed his arms. "Just don't be surprised when that sword winds up in your back."

"Panthera wouldn't do that!" Kamakura voiced what his sensei signed.

"We know nothing about her."

"She likes steak and popcorn, Favorite cartoon movie is the Jungle Book, favorite real movie is the Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy, favorite colors are black and gold, favorite book is any non fictional survival guide, particularly the Worst Case one. She also likes mystery novels. She prefers hand to hand combat because she can take her opponent down before he draws a gun, and she likes Spring." Kamakura crossed his arms. "If you talked to her, you'd know that."

"And you say you don't have a crush on her?"

"It was a card game. You drew an even number, you had to tell a truth, drew an odd number, you did a dare. Five cards, who ever had a better hand won." Kamakura shrugged.

* * *

"You really have to go with the Outcasts?" Mainframe looked up from his computer at Zarana.

"Yep. But not until later . . ." She locked the door.

"I'm sure we can fill the time, then."

* * *

THUD!

"Crash, we'd like you to keep some brain cells." Panthera drawled as she watched him walk into a wall. "You missed the door."

"I noticed . . . Why can't I go?" He looked at her. "Am I that weak that you won't take me?"

"Crash, you're not weak. You're too strong and you can't control your power." Panthera tilted her head. "If something goes wrong, Blind Master's agreed to take you in and help."

"Oh . . ." His voice trailed off. "I still want to come."

"I know." She patted his shoulder in a rare form of friendship. "But you're better off here." With that, she walked out the door.

* * *

"Wetsuit, how does this work?" Marina held up a scuba tank.

"You know I don't have gills, right?"

"Uh-huh." Marina looked up.

"That's how I can stay underwater. I can also hold my breath for four minutes." Wetsuit checked the tank, "You see, this stores oxygen . . ."

**Yeah . . . couldn't think of a name for this chapter. Then I heard the song 'Horse with no Name,' and decided to use that. **


	28. Best Laid Plans

**Best Laid Plans**

It was never intended to be a simple mission. It wasn't a simple mission, and the outcasts were good at being on high alert and succeeding.

Which still does nothing if your leader has a chip that trips the bases defenses once she crosses a line.

"My, what a pack . . . mutant freaks and Joes."

"Moreau!" Panthera growled.

"Really, Panthera, you could do so much better. Say, be a part of Serpentor's pack." The doctor was separated from them by a wall of bullet and laser resistant glass. "It was why you were created, anyway."

"You experiented on children! You didn't do anything but forcibly mutated them!"

"I won't argue with grunts, but I will tell you you're too late. Within 15 minutes, Serpentor will be reborn." He smirked and pulled out a remote. "However, that's long enough for you to die . . ." He pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

"Let me guess, that was suppose to turn on the chip to hurt me?" Panthera pulled out a clear box with the chip.

"You . . . had it removed . . ." He was frozen.

"Doc and Lifeline were kind enough to operate on me." Her smile was pure ice. "Which means **you** no longer have any cards to play." Then she threw something at the glass. It exploded, and without waiting for the smoke and glass to clear, she was through. When the others recovered, both Moreau and Panthera were gone.

"Our mission is to stop Serpentor from being reincarnated! That's her fight." Leatherneck stopped Marina and Long Range from following. "I'm calling in back up, base is on full alert, and we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I'll do it." Techno nodded, she made her way to a console and plugged in.

"I'll watch her." Zarana checked her gun.

Leatherneck and the rest headed straight to the main lab. They burst in on a group of scientists and vipers, the machine already working to bring life to the body. Trying to stop it, Long Range brought his gun up- only to be flung against the wall along with everyone else in the room.

"I AM SERPENTOR!" The man there was similar looking and sounding to the first one, though bald and wearing almost old fashioned gold battle armor. A purple cloak completed the outfit. On his forehead was a tattoo of the number thirteen and a cobra coiled around it.

"Here we go again . . ." Wetsuit muttered.

"At least this one is better dressed." Mutt quipped. "Whoa!" everyone was lifted off the ground.

"Oh mighty Serpentor!" One of the scientists quaked.

"This is going to get boring soon." Long Range grumbled.

"Speak, insignificant one!" Long Range tuned the rest out. It was just both of them talking about how "great" serpentor was and whether or not he wanted to rule the world, which Long Range could've cared less about.

"How about a great hole in you?" Long Range shot at him. Then everyone and everything suddenly fell back to earth. Long Range's shot had hit the mark, but Serpentor's skin was invulnerable. The bullet was flattened against his head.

"Think you just ticked him off." An explosion occurred.

"We must retreat before Cobra Commander learns of this!"

"A tactical retreat only." Serpentor glared at the Outcasts. "You will live only so you may tell your comrades that I have returned! The next time, you shall be dealt with!" An invisible forced pressed down on them, and kept them from going after the group.

"Crap."

"Nice try Long Range."

"I hate healing factor, and I hate invulnerable skin." Long Range struggled up. "Now I'm going to have to get creative . . ."

The base was taken rather quickly, all told. The entire base was like an anthill, with hallways and chambers all over.

"Where's Panthera?" Althea noted the absence.

"Your guess is as good as ours." Long range checked one of his handguns. "She chased after a scientist . . . I think it was the one that actually worked on her, and we lost her."

"We're going to need to drill some responsibility into her head, somehow."

"Kinda hard when she can't feel much emotion." Long Range noted the looks.

"Well, let's find wherever she stashed the bod-!" Everyone jumped as a body of a man fell through a window and onto the ground. A second later Panthera landed next to it, Holding something covered in cloth. "-dy, Did you have to mutilate him while you were killing him?" Hawk looked at the bleeding stump of the arm. Panthera glanced at Hawk, then kicked the body.

Moreau choked and coughed.

"I got tired of him shooting me." She walked away. "You can have him."

"Okay, who are you and what did you do with Panthera?" Leatherneck stared at her. Lifeline was already working on stabilizing Moreau.

"Oh, I'm me." That's when a baby's cry sounded. She uncovered the a baby that she had been holding. "Found him in a lab. He was the back up if the Cobra-la version of creating Serpentor failed." The baby had gray skin, big green eyes some whisps of bright red hair and tiny, sharp, teeth poking through the gums. Bree came over and checked on it.

"There's . . . uh . . . no way to tell whether he's a boy or a girl." Bree glanced up.

"I know. There was a dissected body that looked like Xi in the same room. Number 6, I think."Xi had come over to look at the baby.

"Smells like 6." He tilted his head. "Hair and skin like six's too, though not scaly."

"So you stopped killing the guy because you found a baby?" Marina blinked at Panthera.

"No. I stopped because this little guy was alive. There about ten dead ones in the same room." Panthera shrugged. An attempt to pass the little one to Bree resulted in a make-your-ears-bleed shriek. Panthera then found her arms full again and the baby stopped. "And it kept crawling after us." She scowled at it. It just cooed in contentment. "Techno, I want every single experiment that this lab has done. In particular, anything that pertains to this little guy and his siblings. Xi, you and I need to talk." A yelp from Lifeline brought everyone's attention back to Moreau. He spasmed and then went still, Lifeline only briefly touching him.

"He, injected himself with this." He shakily held up a syringe. Lifeline glanced down at the body. Moreau's aim had been poor, and he had almost stabbed Lifeline. Actually, Lifeline wasn't even sure if he had been intending to take his life, or Lifeline's.

"He's definetly dead?" Panthera stepped forward.

"Yeah. He's not coming back."

"Good." She shifted the baby. "I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Can someone take him, please? I still need to finish wiping off my sword."

* * *

"So, what are Xi and Panthera discussing?" Those that weren't needed were getting ready to go home, either by helicopter or teleportation.

"Beats me." Long Range shrugged.

"6 . . . your number Six, was this little guy's parent, sure you don't want to take your nephew in?" Panthera looked at him. In answer Xi attempted to take the baby. It promptly shrieked, and settled when Xi withdrew, leaving it in Panthera's arms.

"It's attached to you. I imagine it imprinted on you when you first picked it up." Xi smiled. "I don't have a problem with . . . him being an Outcast."

"Considering how loose our morals are?" She glanced at her team. "They're practically non-existent, lately." That part was muttered under her breath.

"Yes, but this way, if Solitare finds out, he won't complain as much."

"I thought you said Solitare was pro-mutant. We've only got a handful on our team." Panthera stared down at the baby. "I am probably the worst person for you to pick, runt."

"You're not that bad." Xi protested. Then promptly winced.

"You were spying on me weren't you."

"A little . . . Though seeing you curled up on the couch with Terri and Jess cuddling up against you kinda blew the whole 'loose cannon' picture out of the water." Xi gently touched the baby's head.

Panthera growled, then gently shifted the baby. "Even evil people can show emotion, Xi, it doesn't mean anything in the long run."

"Perhaps, but you have to admit, you're not as bloodthirsty now that you have a family, than when you were on your own." She gave a slight nod, and joined up with her team.

**Originally, This baby (will be named next chapter) was going to be in the lab where they rescued Xavier. And in the very first draft, this litte guy was older and followed Panthera around and was generally annoying. (Panthera wanted to kill him) But the logistics of the whole thing didn't work.**


	29. Moving Forward

**Moving forward**

"Thought I'd find you up here." Long Range climbed out onto the roof of the hangar. "Why are you hiding, anyway? Other than you've finally gotten Greg to have someone else hold and take care of him?" No one had asked why she had named the baby 'Greg'. It was doubtful she would have answered, with the mood she had been in.

"I didn't kill him." Panthera's voice was almost mournful. "Jerk took his own life . . ."

"At least he's dead. Can't hurt anyone else."

"Yeah. The strange thing is, I thought I would feel something other than the numb anger I've been feeling. Guess I was wrong." She snuggled up against him. "Doc wants to try some hormone balancers, see if that helps for now."

"Something else happen?"

"I'll let you know." She pulled away suddenly, standing up. "Don't wait up." Then she was gone. Long Range sighed. The sad part was, he was getting use to her almost Bi-polar moments. Whenever she'd get agitated, she'd seek out some form of comfort, physical affection from him, a brief playtime with the kids or Terri, then once she had the reassurance she needed, she'd leave. They were all use to that, actually, it was something that they all understood on some level. Affection for Leatherneck and Wetsuit was usually the fights they got into, though they both had a soft spot for the younger members of the team. Teasing Crash about his vision problem, taunts, punches on the shoulder . . . they just weren't able to show pure affection for very long, before it got uncomfortable. None of them actually could.

* * *

Low light slipped out of the Misfit Manor. TV wasn't helping tonight, Covergirl had a migraine and wouldn't be much help if he did wake her up. Roadblock seemed to have a sixth sense whenever anyone so much as touched anything in the kitchen, so that was out too. He decided to check out the Rec room. Halfway there, he stopped.

"Special reason you're out tonight?" He looked at Panthera, she was leaning against a wall, watching him.

"You need to talk to Lifeline." Panthera looked at him. "He's still in the medbay. Hasn't left it yet." Low Light frowned. "Bree's still at the ladies night."

"And you care why?"

"I don't, but he's your friend, isn't he?" Low Light shrugged, and started moving. This time he adjusted his course for the infirmary. He was aware of Panthera tailing him, though he didn't bother bringing it up. She stopped right out of the entrance to the infirmary, anyway. The medic was standing by the sink, the water running.

"Hey, Lifeline, you okay?" Low Light frowned, "Why are you washing your hands?" Lifeline glanced away. "Lifeline, what's wrong?"

"I think I . . . I think I killed Moreau." Lifeline glanced down at the sink.

"How? He injected himself."

"I saw the needle coming at my hand, while I was healing him. Heard him think the word 'die' . . . I was scared . . . and I hoped that he'd miss! I think I made him hit himself . . ."

"Lifeline, his death isn't your fault. You wouldn't purposely hurt anyone."

"But what if I just did?"

"Bree's better at this . . ." Low Light muttered, before turning of the water. "Lifeline, trust me. Even if you were somehow responsible, it was still Moreau's actions that killed him. Not you." Low Light saw a glint of cat's eyes in the dark just outside the infirmary door. "Besides, He wouldn't have lasted long, anyway. I saw that report on his injuries. Panthera was pretty good at causing critical damage without killing him outright."

"That's another thing. Why didn't she kill him? No one would have blamed her . . ."

" . . . You saw more than you're telling."

"He was thinking about her. Panthera . . ." Lifeline shook his head. "She was just a kid, Low Light. When he got his hands on her . . . couldn't have been much older than Spyder when the misfits found her . . ."

"She's here, and there's no way for that jerk to hurt her now. No way for him to hurt anyone, which in a way saves a lot more lives." Low light handed him a towel. "Want to watch a movie in the rec room with me? Or there are non violent video games."

"I think that's an oxymoron, but fine." Lifeline smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. Panthera?" Low Light flicked on the light. Panthera was gone. "Quick." Low Light muttered. "C'mon."

* * *

"This is unacceptable!" Cobra Commander raged. "Mary wouldn't just leave James in the lurch like that!"

"Funny, I'd have thought the news we're almost bankrupt would've ticked him off more than a soap opera." Destro remarked to the Baroness.

"Considering that Mary and James were about to **tie the knot**, I would be distressed as well." The Baroness glared at him.

"Baroness, this is harldly the right time-"

"Then when is?" She retorted.

"Here we go again." Zartan sighed, leaning against a wall. "It's bad enough the twins are arguing over who saw Cadet Demming first so they can get a normal U.S. marriage liscense." Something exploded. "Dreadnoks just blew something up again." He remarked, no one paid attention. "I think we're in a rut. Maybe I should follow Zandar and Zarana and break from cobra? Not getting much money these days." Zartan watched as Baroness took out a grenade launcher and started to chase Destro. Cobra Commander was yelling at the T.V. and threatening to terrorize the writers off whatever the show was. The Twins entered, arguing in tandem, while Demming was trying to calm them down. Mindbender rushed in out of breath, but was ignored by pretty much everyone. "What's the matter Mindbender? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"S . . . Serpentor!" Mindbender gasped. "There's another Serpentor and he's on his way here!"

"Don't be ridiculous, you didn't authorize- " The doors exploded in. Everyone ignored that, while Zartan's mouth dropped. With a flick of his wrist, Serpentor III yanked the arguing Cobras into a line infront of the throne as he sat in it, shutting off the T.V.

"Serpentor?!"

"I am Serpentor III. I have come to take over my former incarnation's glory!" He glared at them. They were all in shock, and cobra Commander couldn't think of saying anything. "All of you have lost much of your edge, I will make Cobra great, starting by removing those . . . unessecary to our cause." BATs came in and took out Cobra Commander. "Destro's weapons deals, the Baroness's money, The Crimson Twins business . . . these are still valuable." He continued. "You will be kept, as will Dr. Mindbender and Zartan. Weeding out some of our weaker spots must begin. Unless there is a good reason for a certain member to be kept, either hand them over to the labs or find a place for them that fits their qualifications." The Cobra high command looked at each other and shrugged.

"As you command, Serpentor!"

In a dark room, a computer screen flashed on.

PROJECT THIRTEEN: PHASE ONE COMPLETED.

"Excellent." A shadow figure whispered. "Time to move onto Phase Two."

**And Seprentor comes fully into the picture. And who is the mysterious person?**

**Heck if I know right now, haven't picked which person I want yet.**


	30. Shadows of Light

**Shadows of Light**

"Alright, meet back here in five hours. Have fun." Leatherneck smiled as the teens of the outcasts vanished. Greg was in a baby carrier on his chest (it was left over from the triplets.)

"You sure turning the kids loose on New York City is a good idea?" Mutt glanced at him as he shifted Terri, who was chewing on a teething toy, her ears hidden under a hat. "I thought Quickstrike was going to watch Crash?"

"He and Wetsuit found an open Bar." Leatherneck grinned. "They disappeared pretty quick after that." Jess and Rick were standing by patiently. "Okay, let's go to the Central Park Zoo."

The teens split up after a bit, each exploring a different area. Marina and Techno found the public library and promptly disappeared into the books, Long Range found a gun shop and proceeded to discuss hunting with the old man who ran it. Crash had found a store next to it that he went in.

Panthera climbed to the top of a brick building, looking out at the concrete 'jungle' that was New York City.

"Nice view, isn't it?" She jerked, and before her sudden companion could blink, she had him by the throat. "Hello, Four . . ."

"Ten . . . you miserable little trickster . . ." The young man she had by the throat was japanese and thin. "I ought to gut you for leaving me behind."

"And you'd have every right." Ten nodded. "I'm sorry . . . I was scared . . ."

"So I gathered." She released him. "Why are you here, anyway."

"Looking for you . . . did you rescue Twelve?"

"How could I when I didn't have you to watch my back?" She crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry . . . I was scared, I wanted to help!"

"Stop groveling will you?" Panthera growled. "Makes you sound like Six." Trickster relaxed. That meant she wasn't going to kill him. Well, at least not right then or in cold blood. He took a minute to study her, almost smiling as he saw how healthy she was . . . it had worried him a lot.

"Point taken . . ." He slipped up next to her. "Have you . . .gone back to the base?"

"I don't remember where it is." She growled at him.

"You don't?" He stared at her in shock. "But you . . . you're the one who figured it out!"

"I don't remember more than half of what happened in the lab, Ten."

"I . . . what do you remember?"

"What does it matter? I don't want to remember anything."

" . . . Not even Sycamore Grove?" Trickster watched her eyes focus on him once more. "I was going to join a group there . . ."

"A mutant team?"

"Yeah . . . Four? Naomi?" She had turned and began to walk away. "Do you want me to-"

"You do what you want, Ten. Just don't you dare mention my real name to anyone there."

"Oh- Okay . . ." He watched her leave. "I won't."

"_I want to go home!"_

"_Someone, make it stop . . ."_

"_I'm scared . . ." _

Panthera closed her eyes as voices from the past came back to haunt her.

"_He . . . he's dead!"Who spoke? It was an adult, shocked over another's demise._

"_Are we all going to die?"A child's voice, scared and sobbing._

"_This new test is simple. Kill or be killed. We'll move onto other mutants after this round." A cage fight, the monster inside devouring those before._

"_Please, kill me . . ."A missing arm and hollow eyes. _

"_Na . . . omi . . . I don't . . . want . . . to . . .die . . . alone." green eyes were wet with tears as a girl kept spitting up blood. _

"I'm . . . crying?" Panthera blinked as her cheeks began to feel wet. She brushed her cheek.

"_Sis, look what I found!"A heart shaped rock. Brown eyes sparkled._

"_Hey, Naomi, what's up?"A clap on the shoulder._

"_May I sit here?"Lunch Outside . . ._

"_It's okay, chickadee, you're safe." Arms wrapped around her, banishing nightmares._

Panthera shook her head, but it felt like a dam had broken inside.

"Panthera?" Kamakura blinked as he found her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing . . ." She wiped her eyes. "I'm okay." But she wasn't. she had a sick feeling deep in her stomach.

"Well, okay then . . . we need to meet up with the others." Panthera nodded, leading the way.

Panthera didn't talk on the drive to the institute, staring out the window instead.

"_Must've been a doozy for you, huh?" A boy, older than her was leaning against the wall. There were several cages in the room, most normally used for dogs._

"_What did they . . .do?" She weakly curled up. _

"_Healing factor, right? Probably decided to try to enhance that first." He gently moved closer to her. "You and I are both cold, might as well suffer together."_

"_What's your . . . name?"_

" _. . . Don't remember. They call me One."_

"_How do you not remember your name?"She looked up at him._

"_You'll forget things too, once you've been here a while." She cried out as the collar around her neck shocked her. "Especially once you've been sleep deprived."_

"_Well, I'm not going to forget." She extended a claw. She carved her name into the metal. One smiled at her._

"_I'll bet you want to escape, too."_

"_I'm going to." Naomi returned, rather hotly. "You going to help?"_

"_Sure, might eleviate the boredom."Even with the collar shocking her, Naomi managed to focus on her goal._

_Two and three were both rather laid back, Two even more gloomier than one. Gradually, the others came, each one adopting the numbers easier than before. As their time in the lab continued, Naomi grew angrier, more willing to use the beast that she had once caged to fight. _

_She went insane, rather than break to Cobra's plans._

_And therein lies the problem. _Panthera sighed. _I'm not so sure whether or not I will stay sane. The anger and rage is still there . . . How did I snap out of it? _Panthera blinked, she hadn't even thought about how she snapped out of the insanity. The first real coherent thought was about Ten and Twelve, to comfort Twelve . . . She could ask Xavier, but she dismissed the idea pretty quick. She didn't want anyone in her head. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

* * *

"Mainframe . . ." Zarana hesitated on the walkway. "Are you sure about this?"

"It'll be okay, Zarana." He took her hand and pulled her along. Paul opened the door after the first ring.

"Dad?" He blinked.

"Hey. I've got some news I'd like to talk over with you." Paul glanced at Zarana a moment, before nodding.

"Paul?" Taryn walked in with a large T shirt on and not much else. "Oh!"

"Might want to put on some more clothes for a bit, baby . . ." Paul watched her quickly back up.

"Sounds good to me . . ." She gave a weak laugh. A moment later she returned, brushing her hair.

"So, Dad . . ."

"Do you remember Zarana? She passed as the gym teacher a few years back."

"Yes, but isn't she-?"

"A former Cobra agent? Yes, I've since changed sides." She fidgeted.

"And you're dating seriously?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, and I've asked her to marry me."

"What?" Paul blinked. "I mean, I knew you and mom were never going to work anything out, and you're human, but . . . why her?"

"It's a long story . . . actually, it starts not to long after the divorce was finalized . . ."

"You've been seeing her since then?" Paul blinked again.

"This explains the rumors of you two doing it on Mr. Peterson's desk." Taryn muttered. Paul looked at her. "What? You just said you understood."

"Too much information, Taryn. Way too much . . ." Paul shook his head. "So why are you here?"

"Well, I've got a favor to ask of you . . ."

* * *

"So, the reason we need to go over this over here and not at the base is?" the Xmen, Misfits, and Outcasts met in the danger room.

"It's a security issue." Quicksilver waved a dismissive hand.

"Alright, everyone, This is the information we have on the twelve. Techno?" The cyborg projected an image. "Number One, Called Intimidator, he has the same ability of colossus and Spyke, as well superstrength and a healing factor. Telekinetic. Two, called Gloom, Toxic telepath that causes depression, she make her body into a black mist, and there's a possible ability of using a portal to transeverse space." A girl with inky black skin met the camera, she was wearing a black cobra uniform, which was oddly lighter than her skin. "Three, called Mach one, Superspeed and invulnerability. Also able to project a dizzying illusion." The dark haired speedster smirked at the camera. "Four codenamed Animal . . ." Leatherneck trailed off as everyone stared at a picture of Panthera. Recently taken as they could see Wetsuit and Marina in the background.

"That was taken at the dam?"

"You're one of the twelve?"

"Was. Keyword." She sighed.

"Okay, healing factor and claws that can cut through most anything, powers not activated are suggestion, levitation, chance, poison in the claws . . . and eye beams?" Leatherneck looked at her. "Like Cyclops?"

"Mm, no. I think it's supposed to be like superman's heat vision." Panthera shrugged. "But I haven't a clue. Doc says there's a fifty-fifty chance of me never getting any of those powers."

"There's a list of genetic donors." Jean pointed at the screen. "Eyebeams I don't recognize, says morlock." The picture was of a thin faced, red eyed mutant.

"Domino!" Logan looked at a picture of a woman with dark hair and a dalmation spot over her eye.

"What are the odds that any of the donor's are alive?" Xavier looked at Panthera.

"More important question would be whether or not they're still able to move." She gestured at the screen. "If injections didn't work, they did transplants. Tried transferring spinal fluid from her, but in the end, they transplanted part of her spine into mine." She shrugged again. "Honestly, I never really cared who they got the stuff from, I just hated the fact they were giving it to me."

"Okay, so I take it you know her?"

" . . . She and Logan applied for the same two jobs at the institute." Xavier sighed. "Like Sage, she was a contact. We've been trying to find her."

"Okay, so it's necessary to put 'emotional blocks' for you?" Long Range asked.

"They were running out of options since electro-shock therapy wasn't working and I was still fighting them." She shrugged. "I think they also tried erasing my memories, which explains a lot of the memory gaps I have."

"Okay, we'll come back to her. Five." This was a young man with silver hair. "Galeforce, he has control over wind, also the same electrical powers as berserker, he can send a psychic blast that can cause vertigo." The next picture was an overly busty blonde, with her uniform unzipped a bit to expose her cleavage. "Six, codename Glitter," He ignored Panthera's low growl. "Shapeshifter, mimicry, hormone manipulation and Hypnotism, can make herself appear to 'shimmer' Seriously?"

"Considering how many vipers that – witch- bedded with just for some food and showers, yes." Panthera crossed her arms. "Her natural body is so flat chested, she looks like a washboard."

"Don't try to downplay your feelings." Althea rolled her eyes.

"Wavedancer, Six literally offered to lay some scientists so she could get a cell with a bed and pink curtains. That includes Moreau." Panthera shook her head. "Sorry, she's a real sore point for me."

" . . . You were friends?"

"Up until she decided that Cobra had more to offer and it would be a better idea to lay on her back to get what she wanted." Panthera crossed her arms.

"Okay, Glitter can also drain energy by kissing someone, but doesn't get memories or powers like Rogue. Temporary paralyzation follows. Now, Seven, named Greenman," The young man had long black curly hair and green eyes. "Can manipulate plants and communicate with them- you've got to be kidding."

"Nope. He really does. Born in a hippie commune too." Panthera sighed. "No offense to hippies, but he takes it to the next level."

"Can also camoflauge with the background. That's it?"

"Yeah, him, Eight, Nine, and Eleven weren't funded much. Didn't have a 'sponsor'."

"Eight, called Mutate. Opposite powers of leech, can awaken mutation with a touch, also turns power on and boosts it. She can sense other mutants." The girl was a redhead. "Nine, called Eclipse, Black angel wings, hypnotic voice, and absorbs light, creates blackouts in a area and can use black holes to rip people apart. I thought he wasn't funded much?" The young man was dark haired, blue eyed and extremely handsome.

"He wasn't, the wings, voice, and light absorbtion are all him."

"10, called Trickster . . . There's no picture." Panthera shrugged. "Okay, unstable molecular structure, phasing, invisibility, shapeshifter . . . Low Light's a genetic donor, so the kid can become any element or chemical, also has replication, and communication with animals. Can create illusions but they can only fool the naked eye, not cameras, and they can only last for ten minutes." Leatherneck let everyone read the screen. "Escaped with four."

"Tch, more like used me as a distraction so he could save his own hide." Panthera muttered.

"Number eleven, Stopwatch, time manipulation, and that's it?" The picture was a blonde haired young man, with a clock tattooed on his hand.

"They were working on making him invulnerable, but there was some trouble. I could really care less."

"Says that only ones immune are members of the twelve, powerful psychics, some beast types and Serpentor."

"Explains why Logan and Rina were able to fight em."

"And finally twelve . . ." No picture showed. "Just says clone, empathetic, and to refer to McDougal's notes." As Leatherneck finished, Lifesize holograms were projected by the danger room. Gaps were shown where Panthera, ten and Twelve were supposed to be in the line up.

"Which we don't have."

"Can you describe him?"

"Dark hair and dark eyes." Panthera shrugged. "Thin, not muscular, but not bones either . . . It's been a few years, and my memory's not that great." She glanced away.

"I might be able to help." She just growled at Xavier. "I won't hurt you."

"I don't want you to 'help' either. Stay out of my head."

"Panthera, you might have a lot more in your head that's been suppressed-" Jean tried.

"It's suppressed for a reason then, and I don't want you in my head."

"But what if someone else suppressed it, instead of yourself?" Long Range winced at her look. "It's a possibility." She just growled.

"Panthera . . ." Althea got her attention. "You should get checked out, just in case."

" . . . Fine. But not by an X-man." Panthera's glare softened a bit. "Preferably, Lifeline." Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. "What? You won't leave me alone until I do have it checked, and I'd prefer keeping the status quo rather than tearing anyone who mentions it a new one." She sighed. "I'd run out of creative ways to do it."

"Not to mention being grounded." Leatherneck looked at her.

"Why exactly does she get grounded for maiming people?" Wetsuit just shook his head at Scott.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to."

"I'm going to have to object, Lifeline's esper capabilities-"

"Are enough to observe and not mess with anything." Panthera growled. "I trust him." Lifeline blinked in surprise. "But no one's going inside my head today."

"Best you're going to get."

"And finally, Sepentor III. Telepathy, ability to turn of gravity in a fifty foot radius, Invulnerable skin, super strength, Technopathy, teleportation, illusions, telekinetic, precognition, has gills but can breath on land just as easily as water, energy manipulation and X ray vision." Leatherneck sighed.

"He's even more dangerous than the first one." Hawk frowned.

"We should've just blown up the base." Panthera sighed. "Hindsight is really annoying."

"That would've killed Greg."

"I know, just . . ." She shrugged. "We saved a baby, but that snake has enough power to kill a thousand more. Can't imagine we did any good."

"We'll work on it. But we're going to have to step up the technology to deal with him." Hawk scowled. "Which means we have to look into the X gene suppression technology."

"Great, more work."

**Alright, now I just have to keep in mind which powers I gave to who and not lose the piece of paper I have them written on . . . easier said than done. I know this is a really rapid update, but I already had this chapter done, and saw no reason to wait around. (Had it done before chapter 28 actually). **


	31. Family Types

**Family Types**

The rather rhythmic sound of wood hitting wood filled the Dojo. Snake Eyes kept an eye on Kamakura and panther as they went at it, He'd only step in if-

Thud! – Panthera decided to get creative in taking out her opponent. Signaling for a break (one of the only signs Panthera understood, along with 'attack', 'stop', 'yes' and 'no'.) He watched them get water.

"Panthera, why exactly do you have to keep tripping me up?"

"How else would I win?"

"By getting better at using the sword?" Kamakura watched her roll her eyes. "Hey, it's an honor thing."

"You take honor, I'll take survival, thank you very much." She winced as she stretched her shoulder. "What do you want to ask?"

"What makes you think I have a question?"

"You always look at my scarred arm before you ask a question."

"You pay attention to that?"

"I pay attention when people stare at me."

"Why are you and ten the only ones that escaped Cobra?"

"We're the only ones that didn't believe the bull that they gave us."

"But, you said you were friends . . ."

"Kamakura, That was pretty much two years of pure hell. One and the rest made their choice to believe Cobra so they could get the easiest life they could. Me, I remembered home, and remembered how many people they killed to refine us. I think I'm the only one who remembers my real name." She looked at him. "Yeah, once upon a time, we were going to all escape, we were going to stay a family and take on Cobra . . . but everyone but Twelve chose Cobra over me and Ten. So as far as I'm concerned, they're nothing to me." She tossed her water bottle. "Absolutely nothing."

"What about Twelve?"

"He's the only one I'd hesitate to kill. Shall we start again?" She suppressed the sudden nausea.

* * *

Leatherneck glared at the ceiling as if it was it's fault he couldn't go to sleep. Grumbling to himself, he sat up. If he was going to stare at something, it might as well be the T.V. Greg was a sound sleeper, compared to any of the infants Doc and Lifeline met. Halfway down the hall, he heard a retching sound in the bathroom. Water ran in the sink, but whoever it was hadn't finished tangoing with the toilet.

"Great. Better see who it is and then get Zarana." Surprisingly, the former mercenary was very good at taking care of the kids. "Bet it's Rick, with all the food he scarfed down . . ." He paused in the door way. "Panthera?" The feral mutant glanced up, gold eyes glazed and hair plaseterd to her head from sweat. She was shaking really badly too. She was leaning over the sink, and it looked like it was taking all she had to hold herself up.

"Didn't feel right . . ."

"What's wrong?" He put a hand on her forehead, and winced. He was no doctor, but the heat off her forehead almost burnt his hand, and that was never good.

"Sick . . . real sick . . ." She grabbed onto his hand and kept it pressed on her head. "You're cold."

"I think you're actually really warm . . ." Leatherneck corrected. He moved to leave, but her grip tightened. "I'm going to call Doc, okay? He might know what's wrong." She just looked up at him, blankly. Her grip on his arm didn't loosen. "Panthera, you need to let go . . ." She fell forward, and he managed to stop her from falling and hitting her head.

"Don't leave me alone . . . don't want to be alone." She mumbled.

"Panthera . . ." Leatherneck glanced around for other signs that he had stepped into the Twilight Zone. Seeing none, he sighed. "C'mon, I'll carry you." Once downstairs, it took him another five minutes to get her to release him long enough to place a phone call to Doc.

"How is she?" Doc entered the Outcast's den, worried.

"She's on the couch, Doc. And she's really out of it." Leatherneck led him to the couch. "Know what's making her sick?" Doc glanced up from looking her over.

"You know her body chemistry was so mixed up from their experimentation on her, right?"

"Yeah, is that what's making her sick?"

"No . . . I should've run more tests, before giving her anything to fix it." Doc sighed. "Her healing factor knew that the way she was wasn't right, but it couldn't fix the problem on it's own." He trailed off.

"Doc, stop thinking and just tell me what's wrong."

"The medicine I gave her would help her adrenal and hormone levels straighten up. What's happening right now is her body is acting on the 'help' being given, and trying to fix the damage. But the result is that her body is also giving her brain too many signals at one time, Making her feel sick and out of sorts." Doc moved the blanket to cover her better. "She'll also be a bit more emotional, which will make her confused as well, since her emotions were suppressed. Don't be surprised if she seems out of character."

"Bit late for that, Doc. She was clinging to me and crying a few minutes before you got here."

"No . . ." Panthera moaned, obviously still asleep. "No more . . . please, no more!" Doc and Leatherneck shared a look.

"Anything you can give her?"

"I'm afraid not." Doc sighed. "I wish I had her medical records, this would be a much easier task." A growl made them look back down at Panthera, who woke up a moment later, jerking. "Easy Panthera . . ." Her eyes didn't focus.

"Name's Naomi." She muttered. "Not gonna forget . . . Name not a number . . . My name's Naomi Hunter . . ." Doc eased her back down.

"Take it easy Naomi. You're going to be okay."

"No . . . It's never gonna be okay . . ." But she fell back asleep anyway.

"Doc . . ."

"I can ask Lifeline to help." Leatherneck scowled, "She did say she trusted him."

"Fine. What about her name?"

"We can't use it." Doc's simple statement made Leatherneck scowl again. "She's not thinking rationally, and if we do use it, that would be going behind her back. As much as I want to . . . her trust is something too fragile right now to break. We wouldn't get it back, and she would run off, maybe unintentionally back into Cobra's clutches."

"Keep quiet?"

"Untill we can talk to her and ask if we can use it . . . she might be a minor, but we need her to stick with us right now." Doc moved to the phone.

"You're sure Lifeline won't mess her up?"

"She needs to be able to sleep, he can get her into a fairly natural dreamless one." Doc dialed, glancing over his shoulder. "I think she's up again." Leatherneck went back to check on her.

"How is she?" Lifeline slipped in.

"Out of it. She's crying again." Doc glanced over his shoulder. "She grabbed onto Leatherneck and won't let go."

"She's burning a hole in my arm and leg." Leatherneck looked at them. "How long will it take for the fever to go down?"Panthera had her head on his lap, and had both arms wrapped around Leatherneck's right arm.

"Should be before morning. But I'm not sure." Panthera tightened her grip. "You're bleeding."

"She extended her claws. She didn't mean to hurt me." He shifted, and her claws gripped his arm again. "It's a reflex." He winced. Lifeline nodded, then noticed the TV on. "She wanted to watch a few movies."

"Disney's Aristocats and Cinderella?"

"I didn't ask why." Leatherneck shrugged. Panthera woke up and turned quickly, retching. She barely made the bucket that was sitting there. "Take it easy kid, you'll be okay." He gently rubbed her back.

"Don't feel okay . . ."

"Lifeline's gonna help you sleep, okay?"

"Don't want drugs."

"He's gonna use his powers, kiddo. Just to help you sleep, he won't look in your head for anything, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay then . . . just don't leave me alone."

* * *

Long Range came downstairs and blinked. The muppet show was playing on the T.V. and Panthera was cuddling with Leatherneck on the couch.

"That's not something you'd see everyday." Kamakura remarked as he came down stairs, running a hand through messy hair. Long Range nodded, then whirled. "What?"

"Since when do you sleep here?"

"Since . . . I dunno. Stayed the night once, came over for breakfast . . . Panthera offered a room . . . I kinda forget when exactly I moved in."

* * *

"I still feel bad." Panthera muttered as Doc drew blood. Rather than make anyone worry over her, she had volunteered to go to the infirmary. Right then, she wanted to run away from the antiseptic smell, but highly doubted Leatherneck would let her. She wasn't sure if she could actually run, she felt so shaky.

"You'll probably feel a little sick for awhile yet, your body's trying to get everything back to normal. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, I guess."She brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

"Panthera . . . There are somethings I can only recommend if you had a legal guardian . . . we know you're younger than eighteen, and we'd like to be able to treat you."

"We know your name is Naomi Hunter, you mumbled it in your delirium last night." Leatherneck got her attention. "But . . . we want your permission to tell Hawk and Mainframe. We won't go behind your back on this, even though we're supposed to." Panthera's head went to her knees.

"I can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Cobra kidnapped me a block from my house." They started and looked at her. "At one point, I wanted to go home . . . but my sister . . . she's a mutant too. If I went back, they'd catch me again, and maybe take my sister." She looked up. "I don't want her, to go through what I did . . . and I don't want anyone there hurt . . ."

"Won't happen kid." Leatherneck touched her shoulder. "We can make sure of it."

"Why don't you go watch that movie with your pack. Leatherneck and I will deal with Hawk."

"Okay."

* * *

"Got it." Mainframe gestured them over. "Naomi Hunter, went missing when she was eleven, she's seventeen right now, anyway, she was kidnapped not to far from her home, she was going to a friend's house for a slumber party, witnesses heard and saw a white van around the same time she was out."

"They let her out of the house at night?"

"No, it was sunset. She should have been perfectly safe, she was in a neighborhood. Anyway, I also went back through the criminal records with her blood, a store that sold clothes had some stolen, and over a thousand dollars left with the tags to pay not only for the clothes but to clean up the blood. That's about the two year mark of her being abducted."

"Damn." Leatherneck muttered.

"Get's better, She debued as the Wildcat almost an entire year after that, joined up her sharpshooter about six months later . . . then she fades back into the background, with the occasional odd job as the Wildcat. What happened to her during that missing year . . . I haven't a clue."

"What's her family?"

"Mom, Dad and Sister. Both girls are adopted, and family is Catholic, which is surprising considering Panthera's broken most of the commandments to pieces." Mainframe sighed. "Mom's name is Mary Hunter, Dad is James, and her sister is Selena. Our girl was dopted when she was six, after spending a year in a coma after being found next to a wrecked car when she was about five. No other bodies were found at the wreck, so she was listed as 'Kitten'. When she woke up, she didn't talk for a month, and then said she was 'Naomi', but no last name." He pulled up pictures of the wreck, and some pictures of a little girl on a hospital bed. "Good grades, played nice with others . . . wore contacts to hide her gold eyes." Mainframe leaned back. "Honestly, she might not've gone down this path if it weren't for Cobra, Hawk."

"Six years . . ."

"We're gonna need to take her home . . ." Hawk stared at the screen. "But I want Leatherneck to get custody of her. If Cobra knows where she lives, we can't risk her going home and staying home. She also needs an escort home."

"I'm going, I would like to get custody of her."

"Right. Scarlett, Flint and Doc are going as well."

"Why's that?"

"She reports to Flint, Doc can get her medical records, and Scarlett's Dad lives there."

**Lots of time skips, I know, but this chapter refused to be written . . . grr . . . maybe I should get a beta reader . . .**


	32. This isn't Home

**If Home is where the Heart is . . . **

**This isn't Home**

That Thursday, Naomi shifted uncomfortably as the car turned onto her home town road. Scarlett, Flint, Doc and Leatherneck were also there.

"Why couldn't I bring Loyalty with me?" Naomi touched her back, where her sword should have been. It made her even more uncomfortable not to have the familiar weight.

"I don't think your parents are going to be happy with what you've been doing lately. You carrying a sword would send them over the edge." Flint frowned at her as she shifted again.

"Feel safer with it." She sighed. "Where are we going?"

"Visit my dad. Moved here after cobra found his address." Scarlett smiled. "You'll like him."

"Shana!" An old man with gray hair limped out to meet the car.

"What, no surprise attack today?" Scarlett hugged him.

"Not since I blew out my knee. I hate getting old." Patrick O'Hara smiled at his daughter. "What brings you here? You were pretty mum over the phone."

"Dad, this is Naomi Hunter." Patrick's eyes focused on Naomi. "She was captured by Cobra a few years ago . . . we're her to take her home."

"Naomi?" He repeated.

"Uh, yeah."

"You don't remember me, do you? You used to hang around here and try and sneak attack me and my oldest when we were moving me in. I taught you self defense."

" . . . Paddy?" Naomi blinked, remembering.

"That's right."

"You use to let me hide here to, after I got in fights."

"I'm old, remember? I'm supposed to be the one with the bad memory." He chuckled. "Yeah, you used to spend Saturdays with your sister and your friends here."

"Oh." Naomi glanced around. "I barely remember . . ." She shifted closer to Leatherneck.

"Well, You've been gone awhile. Now, why don't we go inside for some food." While the adults talked, Naomi explored the house. One of the rooms had glass beads hanging in front of the windows, catching the sunlight. There was a couch in the room and a table, but not much else. Naomi knelt on the couch, so she could reach out and play with the beads, sending rainbows all over the room. It was so . . . familiar.

"See you found the bead room." She turned her head to see Patrick O'Hara. "You use to spend hours here, just playing with those things."

"Does feel familiar." She glanced back at the string of beads she had just tapped.

"You liked shiny things, didn't matter if it was a piece of crystal, a silver chain, or a dagger's blade." He sat next to her. "They told me what happened. Can't say I'm surprised you didn't come home . . . though I always expected you to come home after you were eighteen, not before."

"Did I not like it here?"

"I don't whether you really did or not, but you were always more curious of what happened outside the town, than in it." She glanced back out the window. "I think you already know where your home is, Naomi. You just have to say it out loud."

"Huh?" That made absolutely no sense.

"C'mon Kiddo, time to see your parents again." Leatherneck called. Naomi got up and made it to the door, before turning around and hugging the elderly man. Then she shot out of there as fast as she could. Patrick O'Hara smiled at that.

"You always did have a problem with being demonstratively affectionate, too." He chuckled. "Better check to make sure the guest rooms are ready . . ."

* * *

"My Baby!" Mary Hunter crushed her in a hug. Naomi stiffened, suddenly wanting nothing more than to get out of it. Unfortunately, Mr. Hunter also joined in.

_Claw out, claw out, not pack, not pack!_ It took everything she had not to go berserk and run. Naomi zoned for most of the conversation, studying the house she had grown up in. It wasn't her best move, but she really didn't want to hear anything resembling pity. It was bad enough her adoptive mother was crying. She did pick up that the Joes were going to let her get 'reaquainted' with her family and then come back to talk on Saturday.

_Joy. I want to leave._ Naomi watched from the front window as the Joes drove away. Someone came in the back door.

"Selena! Your sister's home!" Naomi turned and looked at her sister. Light brown hair and brown eyes, roughly the same height, the two actually did look like sisters, even though they were both adopted. "I'll let you two get reacquainted, go up to your room, we haven't changed much . . . is that all you have?" Mrs. Hunter looked at the army issue duffel bag Naomi had brought with her.

"Yeah, it is." But her mom had already bustled off, leaving the two girls in the room alone.

"Sis?" Selena questioned, staring at her like she was a ghost.

"Hey." Naomi really wished it wasn't feeling so awkward. "Miss me?" Recognition flickered in her sister's eyes.

"Not really." Selena smirked. Then she grabbed her in a hug. Thankfully that didn't feel awkward. It actually felt nice . . . like when she got hugged by Techno or Jess. _Packmate._

"Maybe a little?"

"Yeah, definetly a little." Selena pulled back. "Let's go upstairs . . ."

"So . . . what did I miss?"

"Quite a bit." Selena watched as her sister just dropped her bag outside the door. "We've got a couple of hours, before dinner."

"Noted, how are you doing?"

"Better than you, emotionally." Selena smiled as her sister flopped on the bed beside her. "You've still got that 'stay away' vibe, and the anger . . . though I think you lost the worst of it."

"I've mentioned that I hate how you're an empath, right?" Naomi smiled, nothing had really changed between them. That was good . . . it might make staying here a bit more bearable.

"Several times." Selena stared at the ceiling. Naomi's emotions were always a little different than most. There was a lack of fear and rage, but the desire to run and do what she pleased that was still there. That hadn't changed. What had was there was now an emotion or two that made even Selena ache. There was also a drive, an emotion that seemed to form such an intergral part of her sister now. "You're not staying, are you?"

"Don't plan on it, sis. Got things I have to do, and someone to save." Naomi gave a small smile. "You haven't changed much, you're still easy to talk to. Easier than Mother."

"Mom's only human."

Dinner was probably the most awkward part of the day. Her mother rambled about what she had missed and how she would have to make it up, somehow, and her father began talking about the career she should be going into.

"I'm thinking nurse or school teacher." He decided. "You need a good job, and those are always hiring."

"Father, with all due respect, but those are some of the last things I want to be." _Don't snap, Naomi, don't snap, they'd never let you out of the house if you did . . . temper in . . . _

"But they're practical. You could stay close to home . . ."

"Honestly, I'd prefer joining the military." _I'm already a mercenary by definition, and I do have a swiss bank account thanks to Techno._ "They train you for everything, Nurse, lawyer . . . and they have good insurance."

"Honey, the military isn't a proper place for a young woman." Her mother dismissed the idea entirely. "Now, marriage is going to be an issue, I don't know very many young men who'd want to date a girl that has a past like yours-" Naomi's teeth clenched.

_Long Range, Kamakura, Though when I started thinking of Kamakura like that is beyond me. And they both know more about me than you. They wouldn't even dream of controlling me._

"And your condition is also a factor."

"You mean my mutation?" Naomi was struggling not to lash out. _I could start a food fight with althea when I want to change the direction . . . sure can't do that here._

"Honey, you are not a mutant. You're just unique." Naomi made eye contact with Selena. Selena made a slight grimnace, recognizing the look.

_I remember the second reason I didn't want to come back. Dealing with my mother and father who act like this is a doll house._ Naomi counted to ten mentally, but it didn't do much.

"And you need better clothes, what you're wearing is awfully tacky dear." Naomi glanced down. Tank top that revealed a little bit of her stomach, short leather jacket, jeans and combat boots. It was her most comfortable outfit.

_I'm not gonna make it until Saturday . . . I might kill them before then._ Naomi just gripped her knife tighter.

_**Friday:**_

Attending school didn't go much better, there wasn't any relevant information that she cared to learn, and she kept thinking of the literature class she had had with Shipwreck. _Moby Dick was more fun when he taught it._

Most of the kids avoided her like the plague, and the few former friends that did approach her seemed to be staring at her like she was a mirage. Last names escaped her, but she remembered Maria from before. The busty blonde girl was enthusiastic and very good at multitasking.

"Oh, you have gym with Commander?" Computer class was Maria's specialty.

"Commander?" Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, retired military, not an actual commander, but he's mean." She continued typing while looking at her. "He like, flunked a kid because he complained about a stitch in his leg."

"Really?" Naomi glared at the computer. Technology and her were on rather shaky terms, especially if it was a harmless computer that was civilian. "Sounds great." _Bet he couldn't take on Sarge or Wolverine._

"Alright you punks, Listen up!" The 'formible commander' had a bad crew cut, was balding, and a keg instead of a six pack. Grant it, his arms and legs still looked muscular, but Naomi had to roll her eyes.

_Sarge would have this guy for breakfast. He's not scary._

"You, new girl, got a name?"

"Hunter. Naomi Hunter."

"Fall in!" He yelled in her face. Naomi could smell the alcohol on his breath. Deciding she was going to give him hell for the heck of it, she took her time. "Sometime today, girlie!"

_Note to self, tell Misfits about this guy . . . I need some ideas._ She smirked as she took a spot.

"Why don't you take that jacket off, you got a point to prove?"

"Yep." Naomi smiled. "Several actually."

"Funny girl. Drop and give me fifty!" Now, she could do this two ways, do the push ups, or refuse to . . . but she could practically hear sarge telling her to play the game and beat him at it. Like an oiled machine, she did the required fifty and easily got back to her feet. She kept the smile. "Glad you find that amusing, girlie."

"Got anything else?" Ignoring some of the shocked looks, she focused on the gym teacher.

"Plenty." Which turned out to be plenty that Naomi could've done blindfolded.

"Geeze, when did you get so athletic?" Selena mumbled over lunch.

"You learn a lot on your own." Naomi shrugged.

"You're not going to try and hide it anymore are you?"

"Do I have to?" Naomi scowled. "I have people that care about me for me, why should I care what the mindless masses think?"

That thought trailed her until she was back in her old room. This time, instead of going straight to sleep, she looked around the room. White and blue. She scowled. There were children toys still there, things she had played with and enjoyed. Nothing was out of place, and everything was so . . . clean. White and perfect furniture, the entire room was a doll's room.

It just wasn't her room, not anymore. Her room was black and gold, and filled with books and weapons. There were clothes on the floor and an unmade bed. And that room was back at the pit, with the people who didn't make her into a helpless Barbie doll.

This wasn't her home. Her home had explosions, Pietro screaming in fear of his sister, Crash knocking into things, fun food fights and arguments over who had to change the babies. It had a hormone crazy ninja mermaid who chased her frog prince and a cyborg with dry humor. Yeah, not everyone got along, but they worked past it and would go through hell for each other and dignity and appearance meant nothing if a friend or comrade needed help.

"This isn't my home anymore . . . I want to go home . . ." She grabbed her Joe Comm. "Leatherneck, it's Panthera, please, come in."

"Here you just fine kid, enjoying being home?" She smiled at the sound of his voice. Leatherneck understood her, he was safe to go to. Like how a father should be.

"This isn't my home, I want to go back to my real home . . . I want to get back to the den." She flopped onto her too soft bed, she missed the firm cot that was her bed at the Pit. "Please, get me out of here . . ."

"Kid . . ." Leatherneck blinked at his comm.. "You sure about this?"

"If home's where the heart is, my heart is back at the pit. Now get me home before I run away." She heard him laugh. "Yeah, you laugh, but I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"We're working on it, kid. You just hang tight . . . and try not to start anymore fights."

"I don't start fights, I finish them." Naomi hung up. "And that jerk started it by pushing me down the stairs."

"I take it that was Panthera?" Scarlett looked up.

"Yeah, she wants to get back to the Pit, ASAP. She's threatened to run away to get back there." Leatherneck smiled.

"That's a good thing?" Flint looked up. "Why are you smiling?"

"Just thinking that it's not too far off from what I did to join the marines."

"You ran away from home?"

"More like as soon as I turned old enough, I enlisted. Never looked back." Leatherneck shrugged. "Panthera likes the military life, she can't go back to civilian life like this."

"Considering her kill count?" Scarlett leaned back. "She'd probably kill someone just to relieve the pressure she feels."

"Probably. What have you got?" Doc was looking over some files.

"Other than a poor excuse for a Doctor running the local practice?"

_**Saturday:**_

"Where are we going?" Panthera followed her sister.

"To a place where you can be yourself." The old plantation house made Naomi pause for a minute. "what?"

"This isn't the uh, over-crowded one, is it?"

"No, that one's that way." Selena gestured down the road. "Anyway, welcome to Mutant plantation."

"Hey, Heartline, you're here!" Naomi tensed as Maria and the others came out. "Oh . . ."

"Okay, so it turns out most of us are just light weights on the power scale . . ."

"So, we finally get to meet you charming sister . . . oh, crap." Mindflare's head came out of his 'study'.

"Mindflare . . ." Naomi growled.

"Heh, well, uh . . . second impression is better?"

"Hardly."

"Uh, you've two have met?" Selena blinked.

"Not exactly met . . . more like I kinda got in the way of her and a target and she hasn't forgiven me yet."

"What's all the racket- oh . . ." A brown haired girl paused at the railing. "Uh . . ."

"You could of told me that you were staying with Mindflare, Trickster."

"Panthera . . . be nice." Mindflare backed up at the returned glare. "I know we got off on the wrong foot . . ."

"We're working on a different war . . . We're Veritas." Jack stepped forward stopping the inevitable conflict. "I'm Caliber."

"Took him and me weeks to pick a name." Selena muttered. "I'm the team Medic."

"You're an empath."

"I know . . . but I've found I can heal someone else's pain."

"We need a few more heavy hitters, and honestly, your abilities fit the bill." As Jack/Caliber began to fill her in, Naomi kept her frown. Only three people knew what it meant, and one only knew because he was a telepath. Trickster, still looking like a girl, had seen that frown several times before, and Selena (Heartline) knew her sister, even if it had been six years since she had last seen her. "So, what do you say?"

"Tch . . . Just as well I have my own pack." Naomi saw their shocked looks. "Sorry, but my loyalty is already taken."

"You're joking right? You're gonna leave again?" Selena blinked in shock. "But we just got you back!"

"Yeah, we use to be friends!"

"This life isn't me, Heartline. Pretending to be one thing and actually being another? You can live it, but I prefer the life I've had for the past two years. I can visit, but don't expect me to live it." Naomi looked at her sister. "And there's no way I'll be a beta when I'm already the Alpha of my own pack. I picked them, and I'm gonna stick with them come hell or high water."

"But . . ."

"That doesn't mean you won't have the Outcast's help if something goes down and you need back up, but that's only if you'll do the same for us sometime."

"Deal." Mindflare smiled. "Need help in getting back to your pack?"

"Not yet." Naomi Rolled her shoulders. "Do need to talk with your Trickster though, Alone."

"I'll, uh, show you my room." Trickster watched as she closed the door behind her. "Now what?"

"Simple, I need you to keep an eye on my sister."

"Thought you didn't trust me?" Trickster sat on her bed.

"I don't." Naomi joined her. "But . . . I use to." Trickster waited for her to continue. "You didn't leave me for Cobra, you stuck by me when they tried to break us . . . I remember that. You never really feared me, either. You and Twelve were the only ones that got near me when I was out of control . . . so maybe . . . maybe I can forgive you, a little." Naomi glanced up, and watched as Trickster's face went from shock to joy. "Besides, they don't know where you are, Trick. They know I'm with the Joes. They don't know that we're in contact with each other."

"So, you're going to lead them in circles away, while I get to the heart of the matter?" Trickster's face shifted.

"As close as you can without getting caught. We need to get to Twelve, sooner rather than later." Naomi took a deep breath. "We should also link up at some point."

"But, it took everything we had to close it!" Trickster looked at her, shocked.

"I'm not saying connect to everyone, Trick. Just the two of us. Maybe we can add Twelve, when we find him." Naomi took a breath. "The mind link was always going to be optional for you, me, Twelve and Glitter. We could choose who we hooked up to."

"But . . . I don't know how to connect again . . ."

"Neither do I. That's why I said, at 'some point'." Naomi smirked. "I'm not interested in having anyone else but me in my head for right now."

"Oh . . ." Trickster blinked. "Okay." She paused a moment. "Are we friends again?"

"We're partners again." Naomi corrected. "Friends can wait for a bit. After I finish getting over you leaving me behind."

" . . . You're nice again. Why?" Trickster tilted her head.

"While I'm naturally aggressive, some of the drugs they gave me made me a lot angrier and mean. Doc's been helping me detoxify, so I guess I'm just mellowing out. Haven't really been angry for the past few days, either." Naomi shrugged. "Feels kinda nice, not being on edge all the time." Trickster nodded, and then grabbed her in a hug, nuzzling her neck. "Trick!" Naomi swatted her, well, **him **now, down onto the ground. "What the heck?"

"Sorry, been dying to do that. You let Twelve do it." He pouted.

"Twelve just buried his face in my neck, he didn't nuzzle it!" She rubbed her neck. "Idiot."

"Love you too."

"Naomi, we've got to get back home!" Selena called up. Naomi stood, hesitated a minute, then kissed Trickster on the cheek.

"Good to have you back." She muttered, before leaving. Trickster blinked, unable to move.

* * *

Selena and Naomi snuck in the back door, but the Joes and her parents were already in the living room arguing.

"Our daughter isn't a weapon!" Naomi bit her lip, looking at Selena.

"Listen, I understand your concern. My own daughter has recently expressed interest in joining the military." Flint spoke up. "But with your daughter's unique ability, Cobra will keep trying until they catch her, killing whoever gets in their way. They know this is her home. It would be for the best if you would let my friend take custody of her."

"Our daughter will not be a military weapon."

"Then I'm afraid we'll have to arrest her." Naomi's head jerked up, sharing a wide-eyed look with Selena.

"What?"

"Your daughter has admitted to Petty theft and accidental manslaughter, Mr. Hunter. She has a very long list of crimes under two aliases, including destruction of property." Scarlett continued. "So her two choices are the military or prison, where she **will** be tried as an adult."

"Manslaughter?" Selena muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Predator instincts, I kinda lost control." Naomi muttered back.

"With her unique genetics, she'd automatically be relocated to a maxium security, as she does pose a flight risk." Scarlett's voice was carefully neutral. "You wouldn't be able to see her often, if ever. If you allow us to take custody, barring any alerts or emergencies, you would be able to see her every two months and talk to her every Friday. We have a program in place to help children like her who've been forced out of normal circumstances." Mr. and Mrs. Hunter looked at each other.

_**Sunday Afternoon:**_

"They're back." The outcasts perked up from where they had been sitting on a 'picnic' with the misfits and their handlers. (Fred and Todd were the ones who roped them in. Needless to say, Long Range was working hard on a way to pierce invulnerable skin.) It hadn't been going well, as all of them were a little out of sorts with the idea of not having Panthera around. Spirits fell a moment, when the adults exited the car and there wasn't –

"NOME!" Jess hurtled across the space and tackled Naomi around her waist. Rick was just behind her, as well as all the other Outcasts.

"I take it you didn't notice I was gone, huh?"

"You were gone?" Long Range hugged her. "I **thought** it was more relaxing . . ." He smiled as she hit his shoulder. Kamakura hugged her from behind.

"Don't let him fool you, Kamakura and Long Range have KP duty for trying to assault Mainframe to get your home address." Zarana smiled as the two boys turned red.

"You can stay?" Rick demanded from where his face had gotten buried in her side, thanks to Marina. "For good?"

"Let's put it this way, batboy, I'm not going anywhere I don't want to go." She ruffled his hair.

"Welcome home, then." Zarana smiled. "You're just in time to be a bridesmaid for my wedding."

"What?" Zarana just held up a simple diamond studded ring.

"Mainframe proposed. We're working on a large Joe wedding." Zarana watch her smile. "Which means chaos, of course, but it's going to be worth it."

"Sounds like fun." Crash then lived up to his name, and the group was knocked to the ground.

"CRASH!"

* * *

"How exactly, did you get the Wizard of Oz on DVD?" Panthera looked up at Zarana from where she was sitting between Kamakura and Long Range. The outcasts were having another movie night to celebrate.

"Mainframe. How else?"

"Why do we have to watch this?" Crash muttered. But he didn't leave. Dorothy, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man had just met the lion when he jumped up. "I get it!"

"Get what?" Leatherneck paused the movie.

"Why you like it so much. You're Dorothy," Naomi blinked at his finger which was shoved into her face. "You're the Scarecrow, Range, Techno's the Tin Man, or Tin Woman, and Marina's the lion."

"You calling me a coward?" Marina glared at him.

"I'm not brainless." Long Range objected, throwing a pillow and knocking him down. "Now be quiet." Crash pouted as the movie continued.

Panthera shifted between Kamakura and Long Range, smiling as she looked at her pack. She wasn't going to have to leave them, ever.

**Long chapter, lots of time skips . . . just me editing, so if something doesn't make sense, let me know in a review. No flaming, just constructive criticism. I've got one flame already on a story, which made no sense since everyone else who read it followed it just fine. *shakes head* oh well, can't win them all. **


	33. Another Random Chapter

**Another Random Chapter**

Morning at the pit was fairly routine, mostly because everyone was actually still asleep until they got their coffee and the routine kept them from crashing into each other.

Sgt. Slaughter and the Renegades were usually the first group up and training, followed by everyone else, the other groups were staggered, so that way they didn't swamp the mess hall. The reason why Sgt. Slaughter and the Renegades were **usually** the first ones up, was because of those with children. The babies of the Misfits and Outcasts were usually good sleepers, but every now and then, someone wouldn't be happy.

"It's a good thing I'm nocturnal for the most part, runt." Naomi sighed as she looked at the crib that had gotten shoved in her room. After her brief return to her adopted parents, during which Greg had been inconsolable, everyone decided it would be better for them to have the baby with Naomi. Well, everyone except her, but since Greg was normally a good sleeper, she hadn't really minded. "And I sleep in cat naps." She picked him up, and winced a bit as one roaming hand gripped hair and tugged. "Giggle now, little guy, when you're older, I'm going to embarrass the heck out of you." Greg giggled as she gave a low purr.

After taking care of little Greg, she wasn't able to go back to sleep. Not really surprising for her, but it gave her way too much time to think. Opening a notebook, she began going through it. She had one for every member of the twelve, and found it a bit easier than using a computer. That was Techno's department, anyway. With one chapter of her life finally closed, she needed to work on the next . . . which included figuring out what powers she actually had.

* * *

If they were lucky, the misfits woke up to one of the adults or Althea calling them. If they weren't . . .

"PIETRO, _DIE_!!!" They woke up to Hexes going everywhere and an earthquake. "Althea, call Panthera, I need some back up!!"

"What's happening?" Althea opened her door and blinked. "Okay, who gave Pietro B.A.'s coffee?"

"Oh, good, you see it too. I thought I was hallucinating again." Lance stared at the walls. Pietro had managed to paint murals on the walls, all about him.

"What the heck?" Angelica and Lina emerged, Lina's wings twitching.

"Are we sure it's not a group hallucination?" Todd blinked.

"No . . . I wouldn't have this much detail, I don't think . . ."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Well, that's Pietro's scream." Lance sighed. "Spyder, Trinity, why don't you four go back to sleep? We'll call you if we need you to torture Pietro."

"Okay, Lance." Spyder sleepily returned to her room. "Hit him real hard for me, 'kay?"

"Deal."

"SHIPWRECK!!" Covergirl's yell attracted their attention.

"It wasn't me, it was Polly!"

"Let's go find out what's happening . . . then I'm requesting more time to sleep." Althea grumbled. Downstairs, Pietro was head first in a wall, and Wanda was kicking any part not stuck in said wall. What Covergirl was ticked about was a mural of Shipwreck surrounded by women . . . most notably her and Storm. She and Lowlight, who was currently normal, where beating him up.

"I think they have it under control." Roadblock yawned.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Lina winced.

"Okay, didn't know that was possible . . ." Lance also winced.

"How about get breakfast ready?" Roadblock turned and went into the kitchen.

"Spirit, Blind master?"

"I think the saying 'not an icicle's chance in hell', is appropriate wisdom for this moment." Spirit winced at a thud.

"I agree . . . let's get breakfast." The two vanished into the kitchen.

"!"

"Babies are up, C'mon Toddles." Althea sighed as she pulled her boyfriend behind her.

"I'm going to get more sleep." Lance returned back upstairs.

"Miss me?"

"No, Pietro. Wait . . ." Lance looked at the Coyote. "It's you. What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much, winning lotto ticket, beautiful women at my beck and call . . ."

"What do you want right now?" Lance corrected.

"Oh . . . words of wisdom . . . might want to make friends with that feral chick with the sword."

"Al and her are already friends."

"Ah-ah, but you're not friends with her. Not yet. Trust me, it will come in handy. Especially in regards to a certain Kitty's heart . . ." Coyote held up a picture of Kitty wearing a bikini.

"Give me that!" Lance tried to grab it and missed.

"Uh, figment of imagination, remember? And I'm leaving right now." Coyote picked up a suitcase and a coat. "See you in a bit!" Lance blinked, and he was gone.

"Why me?" Lance groaned.

* * *

"Hey Shadowcat, what's up?" A morlock with dreads and scales for skin greeted the X man.

"Not much, what about you, Dreads?"

"Same old, same old, Callisto finally stop complaining about your visits?"

"For now. And mostly because I'm helping expand the tunnels." Kitty smiled. Her hair had gone back into the usual ponytail, though her scruchi had changed from pink to blue.

"You're early today." Callisto got their attention as the entered a chamber with a few other mutants.

"Danger Room session went quicker than usual. Where are we starting today?"

"We need to work on the tunnels that went past the power eight factory . . . we also need to block any of it off."

"Digger helping?" The mole like mutant blinked up at her.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

* * *

An excerpt from an IM chat that a few misfits, X men, and Outcasts had that night.

HandsomeSpeedDemon: Do not believe anything you hear about me! I am innocent, I swear.

GoldenEye4: uh-huh. So the shouts this morning of 'kill Pietro now!' were nothing?

HandsomeSpeedDemon: I was framed! Framed I tell you!

MermaidNinja: And thats why he has KP for a month.

CosmicFirebird: Wait, who's GoldenEye?

GoldenEye4: Try thinking of how many you know with gold eyes, and which one isn't a misfit or X men, Jean Grey.

CosmicFirebird: Panthera

Fuzzyelf14: u shouldn't be so rude.

GoldenEye4: Considering Xi's name is 'InvisibleNinja11', oh, nvrmnd.

HandsomeSpeedDemon: No need to be rude, or maybe u should try medititation or going to a religious service

CosmicFirebird: Pietro! Now u r being rude!

CoolIceman7: Yeah, she's could be pagan or atheist.

GoldenEye4: I'm Catholic

GoldenEye4: Everyone still there?

Fuzzyelf14: R U SERIOUS!!

GoldenEye4: It's how I was raised. Obviously, I haven't gone in a while.

HandsomeSpeedDemon: That explains so much . . .

CoolIceman7: Like what?

HandsomeSpeedDemon: How blood thirsty she is, for one thing.

GoldenEye4: Pietro, let's get something straight, My religion has nothing to do with anything, and if you're going to stereotype, how about the one that says if you're born to a bad parent, and **look** like them, you're going to go bad as well? That one ring a bell?

MermaidNinja: She has a point. What happened to Kurt?

CosmicFirebird: Dunno, he just left the mansion.

MermaidNinja: We'll stake Pietro out on the lawn then.

Fuzzyelf14: Don't bother, I was just visiting Father Chris. He's pro mutant. Panthera, if you want, you can talk to him sometime.

GoldenEye4: I'd say thanks, but I'm trying to be more honest . . .

Fuzzyelf14: How about you thank me after you meet him and decide for yourself what you want to do?

GoldenEye4: That'll work.

ILikeKilling1: HELLO PEOPLE!

MermaidNinja: Who the heck are u?

ILikeKilling1: Names Deadpool! Is this the top ten horror movies chat?

CosmicFirebird: Uh, no.

GoldenEye4: Wait, Deadpool as in the mercenary?

ILikeKilling1: One and the same!

GoldenEye4: I'm going to have Tech fix the security settings . . .

GoldenEye4 has logged out

ILikeKilling1: Oh! I have to go number 2, I'll be right back!

HandsomeSpeedDemon: TMI

HandsomeSpeedDemon has logged out

Fuzzyelf14: I'm out

Fuzzyelf14 has logged out

CoolIceman7: I'm leaving too

CoolIceman7 has logged out

CosmicFirebird: We really attract weird people, don't we?

MermaidNinja: You're just noticing this now?

CosmicFirebird has logged out

MermaidNinja has logged out

ILikeKilling1: Hey, where'd everybody go?

**Yeah, this chapter took a while, Next one will have more plot to it, I promise . . . well, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah or Kwanza, Happy Holidays and I hope everyone has a good new year!**


	34. Wedding Chaos and Mushy Stuff

**Wedding Chaos and Mushy Stuff**

**Techno's log:**

I have decided I am relieved to have a computer for part of my brain. Having gone through a so called 'traditional' wedding, I have discovered that humans are by far too illogical otherwise, especially with alcohol in their systems.

I suppose I should explain from the beginning. Zarana and Mainframe decided to have their wedding on base. (Mistake #1) Which meant that all the Joes were there to party. Yes, there were dresses and suits all around, and Naomi managed to find some pants that gave the impression she was wearing a skirt, up until she round kicked Pietro into a pool fill with punch. Yes, you read right, a **pool full of punch**, I'm not sure how, nor do I want to know. I do know there was a kiddie pool full of champagne and someone got a fountain of chocolate- no, not one of those small fondue fountains, an actual **fountain.** Like something you'd find in Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

Not only where the Misfits there, but the X men as well. (Mistakes # 2 and 3 in my opinion) Anyway, the ceremony was led by Hawk, and Zarana wore a light pink with blue ribbons lacing up the back wedding dress. Someone (A greenshirt) commented that at least she didn't wear white, and I think Jinx managed to throw shuriken at them. She was Zarana's maid of Honor. Well, with Naomi still carrying her sword (though for some reason she put it at a 'traditional' spot on her waist instead of over her shoulder), Jinx with who knows what hidden in her red dress . . . no one dared to say any objection . . . well that's not true, Zandar shouted that if Mainframe broke her heart he'd break every bone in Mainframe's body . . . Oh, and he got enough strength to walk Zarana down the aisle! I forgot to type that first . . . I guess it took everything it had, but he did it, I couldn't tell if he was crying in happiness or pain when he sat down in his wheelchair, he was shaking pretty hard, so I'm guessing pain. Jess was the flower girl, and Junkyard was the ring bearer, since Vampyre refused to do it. I think he has feelings for Spyder and didn't want to look like a fool.

Now that I'm back on track, we had the reception outside. Which was where Naomi kicked Pietro into the pool, apparently, he had said something that ticked her off. Cake cutting went fine, as did throwing of the bouquet (I caught it, surprisingly.) and the garter throwing that was for the guys.

Okay, so not many people actually do this, (so of course we did it) but the catcher of the bouquet dances with whoever catches the garter. In this case, I had to dance with Storm Shadow. That was very awkward . . .

As the time progressed, everyone danced, drank and ate. Not nessecarily in that order, and Shipwreck had to go to the infirmary cause Storm electrocuted him. All the guys took turns dancing with all the girls (even those with girlfriends, I believe it was a matter of safety as those who were sitting out were, uh, busy with other things, and it was the only way to talk to someone) Surprisingly, Avalanche danced with Naomi several times, and Long Range danced with Rogue. (Remy had gotten roped into dancing with Jess. She really wanted to dance with someone and Rogue was a little miffed at him.)

Of course this was accompanied with chaos, drunken chaos, Polly and Lockheed setting something on fire and Barbecue putting out the flames, then some drunks going to the obstacle course (Scuttlebutt is they raced naked against each other. Again, I don't want to know) Oh, and Snake Eyes proposed to Scarlett, who accepted, and Duke then got drunk . . . Apparently Wolverine and Jinx got it on in the laundry room, and Low Light beat up a few greenshirts that tried to go for Covergirl.

Yeah, exactly what you'd think would happen at a G.I. Joe wedding. Zarana and Mainframe made a deal with Trinity to get the mass device and a private location for their honeymoon.

I hear Lady Jaye is going to give up on the sexual harassment paperwork because of this. I can't blame her.

Why did I decide to stick with Naomi?

**End Entry**

* * *

The night after the wedding, Naomi had fallen asleep on the couch. She'd been feeling off and had opted to sleep downstairs so she didn't get dizzy and fall down stairs. She'd heal, of course, but it still wasn't worth the pain. She wasn't that insane, or at least, wasn't that insane anymore.

However, the downside was that the room was dark, the couch was lumpy, and if she was startled awake she would claw whoever it was without thinking. She always had that problem if she fell asleep in an unfamiliar place . . . had clawed Long Range several times when they had first traveled together. He learned that he either had to share the bed with her, or throw something from across the room. Sometimes, in a humorous mood, he'd manage to find two metal trashcan lids and bang them together. Pretty much everyone, even Jess and Junkyard, knew that you didn't try to wake her up by shaking her. Over time, the clawing to bits faded to a quick swipe, but it was still advised not to wake her up . . .

"Let sleeping cats lie." Crash had joked. But it was a very accurate statement.

So when someone decided to touch her arm, her body reacted before her brain fully woke up. Claws hit cloth and skin, and to their credit the person didn't yelp or yell . . . they just gasped.

"Kamakura?" Naomi blinked, at his unmasked face, realizing she had just swiped at her friend's neck. It had been the side of his neck, not the front, but still, it could have been a kill. "What the hell were you thinking?" She managed to hiss, angry.

"You were having a nightmare. You were growling in your sleep. I, uh, forgot about your claws . . ." Kamakura blushed. "I uh, probably should get this fixed, though . . ." He had one hand holding pressure on his neck.

"Let me see? Sit here." It wasn't deep, almost superficial, but it was bleeding. "Close your eyes, I can fix this. Don't open until I'm done." Kamakura did so, but unlike Althea, who had kept her eyes closed, he opened his eyes in the middle. Panthera was licking his neck, and he automatically felt his face heat up. "I told you not to look." Panthera muttered, pulling away. She got up to rinse her mouth while Kamakura looked at the now healed part of his throat.

"How'd you do that?"

"Ironically, my spit can heal wounds." She shrugged. "I don't really use it all that often." She sat back down on the couch. "So don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay. Have you, healed anyone before?"

"Long Range a several times, techno and Marina a few, and Crash once. He'd fallen and gotten a gash on his head. I've also healed Althea and Greg . . . probably why he imprinted on me, now that I think about it." She settled back down.

"Thank you."

"You're pack, why wouldn't I help?"

"From the rumors, you didn't heal Leatherneck when you scratched him."

"At that point, he was a still a stranger and I wasn't going to lick his face." She made a face at the idea. "Honestly, it borders on inappropriate sometimes." Kamakura absently nodded. Then did the most classic move ever and yawned, stretched, and put one arm around Panthera. She blinked, and just chose to shift so she could lean against him.

"What are your nightmares about, if you don't mind me asking."

"The lab. They had competitions, where you pretty much had to kill someone you barely even knew, or they'd hurt you in some way. Me, they liked cutting me open while I was awake to punish me." She closed her eyes. "Killing got to be second nature real quick."

"did any of them, ever . . . uh . . . touch you?"

"Some tried to rape a few of us. I killed them before they could do anything to me." She opened her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that lab was exactly like hell."

"You got out."

"Yeah, but others didn't, Kamakura."

"Sean."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Sean. You can call me that when we're alone."

"Okay, Sean. What are your nightmares about?"

"Nightmares? What makes you think-"

"I can hear you. Even with the soundproofing." She raised an eyebrow. "And I'm usually awake because of my own Nightmares, and I have a habit of double checking on everyone when I'm awake because of one."

" . . . When Ophelia died." Kamakura glanced away. "Well, Ophelia is her official name. I called her Hoshi. We were best friends . . . and because of me, she got killed."

"Why is it your fault?"

"Because I was the one who tripped the alarm that woke up the Cobra base." Kamakura closed his eyes. "It was such a stupid mistake, and she got killed because of it."

"Okay, so say it is your fault . . . did you pull the trigger of the gun that killed her?"

"No . . ."

"Then you didn't kill her, some idiot cobra bastard did." She absently snuggled closer. "Make sure you don't get that mixed up again. 'Kay?"

"Still feels like my fault."

"It will probably feel like that for a long time, Sean. Just don't worry too much about the past. It's the present you gotta be careful with, and the future you should worry about, okay?"

"Okay." The two lasped into a comfortable silence. "Naomi?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?" She blinked up at him. Then shifted a bit.

"Sure."

The midnight kiss didn't go unnoticed. Long Range stood in the door way, feeling a mixture of emotion he couldn't identify. Silently, he slipped away.

After Kamakura had returned to his room, Naomi almost wound up clawing Long Range in the kitchen when he came up behind her.

"So, are we still an exclusive couple or are we inclusive now?"

"You saw that kiss didn't you." It wasn't really a question, and as Naomi leaned against the counter, Long Range just moved closer.

"Yeah, I did. So what are we?"

" . . . I have no clue, Range." Naomi closed her eyes. "I'm attracted to both you and Kamakura, and honestly, I couldn't chose between you two right now . . . but . . ." She opened her eyes to look at him. "You and I have been partners and somewhat lovers, I guess, since we met. That's a pretty long time, and I . . ."

"Was a kid looking for something to attach to, whether it was love or friendship, you didn't care as long as you had it." She ducked her head and nodded.

"Yeah . . . I mean, even if we're not together together, I think I'll still come to you for comfort, no, I know I will. But I don't want to string either of you along. That wouldn't be fair . . ."

"Then we're inclusive, if you want." Long Range wrapped her in a hug. "I don't want to lose you either, but . . . I don't think you really loved me the way I did you."

"I'm sorry . . . but I still can't feel that level of . . . attachment." She closed her eyes. "I never wanted to string anyone along, Alex . . . I didn't mean to mess with your head or emotions."

"I know. I did that to myself." He smiled and pulled back. "But if it falls through with that ninja wannabe, I'm still open."

"Tch. That means you're going to get all the complaints I have about him." The two laughed. "You know, my adopted mom said no guy would ever be interested in me 'cause I was so violent and independent . . . not to mention my warped past . . . but here I am with two great guys, and I'm having trouble figuring out what to do 'cause I never really learned." Naomi smiled. "So, I just hope you'll be patient with me . . . until I figure out what the heck I'm doing."

"I'll always be there." Long Range promised. "But you better give Kamakura the heads up. Poor guy's even more in love with you than I am, and he's sensitive."

"Yeah, but he sure doesn't know how to wake me up." Naomi kissed Long Range. "Great, now I really am awake." She muttered. "And sleeping pills don't even work." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'm going back to sleep, Tiger. I suggest you put in a boring movie." As he walked up the stairs, he gave a small smile.

Parting was a sweet sorrow . . . even with the promise of a maybe.

"Hey, Range, we decided to be inclusive right?" Naomi was at the bottom of the stairs. "Does that mean the three of us can go on a date or what?" Long Range burst out laughing. "Hey, you never explained it!"

"I'll explain it tomorrow, Naomi." Long Range shook his head. "You're really are clueless, aren't you?"

"Uh, eleven when I was kidnapped from home, boys didn't even interest me at that point. And most of my teenage years have been filled with killing and surviving, so, no." Her gold eyes glowed a bit in the dark.

"Point. Okay, I'll explain it to you tomorrow . . . or you could ask Althea. That might be less awkward for you." He continued up the stairs, now highly amused. He'd forgotten how naïve she could be about the opposite sex.

**Okay, so when I was in middle school, my family watched the movie Three Men and a Baby. Now, I had already had two boys who liked me, one who asked me to the dance and the other who apparently thought I was beautiful and dropped his books the first time he saw me (everyone else claims this is true. I think I would have remembered a kid dropping his books though.) So needless to say, I was pretty introverted and more interested in writing than I was in boys, (still am) so I had no idea I was being flirted with. My mom had to explain the fact about how girls and guys interact, several times to me, especially in highschool when I had about five guys vying for my attention and didn't even know it. My sisters had to tell me. (Yay Shiva and her inability to notice the opposite sex.) But I'm getting off topic. Anyway, in the movie, there is a party scene, and Tom Sellecks character is asked twice, once by a girl, and once by a guy, whether or not he and his girlfriend are exclusive. **

**I had my mom pause the movie to explain it. I was that clueless. **

**What? I'm not the only girl who decided school was more important than dating a guy, right? [Notes crickets chirping] Never mind . . . I'm tired and prone to typing nonsense . . . which is what half the next chapter is.**


	35. Bad Guys Are A Plotting

**So this was suppose to be crazy, but the plot snuck back in . . . along with a couple of characters.**

**Bad Guys Are A'Plotting.**

Apocalypse scowled as he finally got the Mayan temple's teleporting device working. As much as he enjoyed watching the new entertainment, he really had to start working on taking over the world. Again. Setting the device back to one of his Eygptian hideouts (he was really annoyed that the Eyptians had lost their power because of Cleopatra. If she wasn't already dead, he'd have a few things to say to her.) He activated it.

Stepping off, he blinked at the well kept walls.

"Welcome Home, my lord." A gravelly voice made a humorless smile appear.

"Ozymandius, my loyal steward." Apocalypse turned and saw a stone man wearing a turban. The stone man lurched and Apocalypse held up a hand. "Bowing is not nessecary, especially since your mutation has made that difficult for you."

"Thank you, lord." Ozymandius dipped his head a bit instead. "Woud you care to see what Has been accomplished in your absence?"

"What has been accomplished?" Apocalypse and Ozymandius started to move.

"Yes . . . it took time, but we managed to prepare a suitable palace from the ruins of your old one . . . and had you not been defeated by the X-men and Misfits, we would have been able to help you."

"You mean, had you not been so obvious with trying to take over the world." A woman wearing a hat and simple jacket stood in the throne room.

"Watch your tongue, Tanya Trask." The woman smiled, and gave a mocking curtsey.

"What can I say? I tell it like it is."

"And your ability?" Apocalypse sat on his throne.

"Time Travel. Daddy dearest and my darling brother were too narrow minded to realize my ability . . . then again, Daddy always wanted a son." Tanya held up a large ruby. "Care to have this? It's going to be stolen from its collector in two years, by me."

"Must you brag?" A familiar man entered the throne room, wearing the black uniform of Cobra. "Apocalypse, I am Major Sebastian Bludd, Ozymandius requested that I keep an eye on the Cobra Organization."

"Never mind the fact you spend more time enhancing your genetics than keeping an eye on them." Tanya snorted. "Oh, and you're known for being in the hospital all the time. We should have just hired that Zartan guy . . . oh wait, his taste in wives eventually dries him insane. Nevermind."

"If the dreadnoks and Mystique haven't," Bludd frowned.

"You know how three is a lucky number for some? It's not for Zartan."

"But he's only married mystique, Zanya's mum wasn't married to him."

"If you two would pay attention?" Tanya just smiled and leaned against a pillar. "Thank you. Ms. Trask here found a plan that would guarantee your power."

"Oh? And why didn't she find me before?"

"You ever try figuring out which time line is your own?" Tanya gave him a look. "It's not as easy as the books make it. I landed here a few years ago, but you'd already gotten beaten by the goodie-goods. Which sucked cause I had to wait."

"And she was annoying about it, too." Major Bludd muttered. "She ruined the superbowl by telling me exactly what happened beforehand. I still can't believe the Saints won . . ." Tanya rolled her eyes.

"I take it you both have short attention spans." Apocalypse sighed.

"Sorry. New Medication to stabilize my mutation . . ." Major Bludd apologized. "Not that the blokes at Cobra notice . . . they're all crazy."

"Stabilize your mutation?"

"My X gene is . . . incomplete. I've been working on stabilizing it."

"Before we get off topic again, We've started phase two of the plan, Bludd here has been busy with phase one and being our recruiter . . . almost a third of cobra is loyal to you now."

"Not to mention Hydra, a few in Latveria, Nova Roma . . . We've been busy." Tanya studied her nails.

"And a good half of the Egyptian underground." Ozymandius tried to finish.

"A good amount of _any_ underground. They're just waiting for the word." Tanya ignored the look the ancient mutant gave her. "Madripor, Genosha . . . couple in Magneto's group . . . still working on infiltrating X men and Misfits. Well, we've got an in with the Misfits right now. But it's going to take a while to completely wrangle 'em."

"Excellent. Well done, all of you." All three gave some kind of bow. "They won't even know what hit them . . ."

**In a Cobra base:**

"Now I see _why _Cobra has issues." Serpentor III growled as he looked at a series of screens. "A good portion of the command are _insane_!" The screens showed Zartan laying into the dreadnoks, Baroness was chasing Destro with a rocket launcher. And Mindbender was on a rafter, avoiding a really angry monster he just created.

"Tell us something we _don't_ know." Zanya and Firefly watched the screens as well. "Oh, look, the Baroness just stuffed Destro down a laundry shute." Zanya munched on some popcorn.

"It's not the laundry shute, it's a garbage shute." Serpentor sighed. "Zanya, I've changed my mind. You may start your own team. Firefly, your weapon allowance has also increased." He watched the Baroness storm down the hall. "And I need ideas to do something about Destro and the Baroness."

"You could date her." Demming and Tomax and Xamot entered the room. (Demming made the suggestion.)

"Yes, because _that_ would work so well." Zanya rolled her eyes. "I'd say make it company policy not to date in the company, but that would go south before you could blink. Even the Joes have issues with it."

" . . . Maybe you could just make it policy to have those two not date?"

"While the idea has merit," Tomax began.

"The cycle would," Xamot added.

"Just start over again!" The two finished together.

" . . . Do we really need them?"

"Yes. Unfortunately . . . both have invaluable contacts." Serpentor sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Maybe I should assign them to different bases for the interim?"

"That would be our best bet,"

"And preferably the _other side_,"

"Of the _world_ as well."

"And change their codes?"

"Crimson Twins need to get on that, then, Zanya will help me reassign her father and his gang as well as Destro and the Baroness."

"Why Zartan as well?" Firefly glanced up. He also stole some of Zanya's popcorn.

"Nothing Personal, but I'd like the Dreadnoks to _leave._"

"Don't we all?"

**In another part of the base:**

"That tramp!" Intimidator roared as he threw a table into a wall. "That ungrateful,"

"One, knock it off!" Gloom stopped him from throwing a chair. "We all knew Four was unstable at best-"

"She killed Moreau!" He snapped back. "That's not unstable, that's treachery!"

"Yes, because killing vipers and destroying bases isn't treacherous at all." Mutate sighed. She and Glitter entered the room now that Intimidator's rampage had halted. Greenman emerged from a cocoon of vines. "We knew she was going to try and kill him, why are you so shocked that she _did_?"

"She wasn't supposed to be able to kill him!" Intimidator snapped. "She was programmed not to!"

"You can take the animal out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal." Greenman quoted, gaining their attention. "Face it, Moreau was playing with fire when he tried to control her. And he got burned big time." Intimidator growled. "You know it's true, Animal has free will, he couldn't curb that unless he lobotomized her, and that could easily make her more insane or too docile to be of use."

"Hm, how about mess with her emotions?" Glitter smiled. "I could do that."

"Glitter, you tried that one before so she'd stop babying Twelve. Remember?"

"I do, that back fired big time." Mutate plopped onto the couch. "If anything, that made her attachment to him stronger."

"True, but at that point, she was hiding behind her animal instincts." Glitter smiled. "Now she's been human for a while, she won't be able to hide behind them as easily."

"Then that's what you're doing. We'll bring her back and break her like she's suppose to be."

"Don't be so sure." Greenman muttered, unheard. _Because she's tasted freedom, she won't be willing to go back into any type of cage, and I can't blame her. _Unlike the others, Greenman's basic nature had not been twisted to Cobra, and he believed that animals shouldn't be in cages.

Or in this case, mutants that were more animal than human.

**Somewhere in the pacific . . .**

An abandoned Chocolate factory was being maintained by a one eyed, orange tentacled . . . former monster of Mindbender's. She was trying to drown her sorrows in chocolate, which was going well (better than eating human beings, actually). Up until she started to feel sick. Semi curling into a ball (a feat with all of her tentacles) she looked through a human magazine. All filled with pictures of human beauty. She fell asleep wishing she was human.

**Alright, we've got treachery, diabolical plans . . . and a random character that popped back into the plot. **


	36. The Lab

**The disclaimer saying I don't own G.I. Joe, X men or even the Misfits is hiding under the bed. This chapter is rather macabre, and I apologize ahead of time to those of you with sensitive dispositions. (This chapter took forever, and I could use some feedback on it . . . next chapter will be lighter.)**

**The Lab**

"Intel we got says that it's a pretty good sized lab." Duke was explaining to the assembled misfits and outcasts. "Heavy security, so Outcasts will go in, turn things upside down, then we'll strike. Also, we don't know if there are any victims or what mental state they'll be in, so everyone, stay in groups of two and radio for Lifeline or Doc." Panthera shifted. "And no one, even if they can heal fast, should go harrying off alone. Anyone that does will get KP duty for a month."

"Yessir." Panthera muttered, crossing her arms.

Duke knew that things were going to go wrong. They always did in some way shape or form. So when Leatherneck broke radio silence, they all knew things had gone downhill.

"What do you mean 'It's Panthera's lab'?"

"It's the lab they had her incarcerated in, Duke! She knows it, and there's no chance on any of us keeping her calm once Techno finishes with security." Along with Leatherneck's voice was a growling sound that kept changing pitch.

"What's that noise, Leatherneck?"

"Panthera. I've got her physically pinned right now, but when Techno," His voice was cut off by a very angry roar, "Damn, Techno beat security, and Panthera's on the loose. You best come on in, this is going to get ugly." Entering they noticed old bloodstains on the wall.

"Leftover from when Panthera escaped the first time." Marina caught up with them. "Sorry Duke, we tried to talk her down . . ."

"You must not have tried hard enough." Shooter rolled his eyes.

"We did too!" Marina glared at him. "I'd like to see you try talking her down."

"Uh, I'm good." Shooter gulped as they rounded the corner. There were several dead vipers, none of them had their throats intact.

"So, she's off on her own?"

"No, Kamakura and Long Range went after her, but whether or not they can do anything is anyone's guess."

"Hey, I found someone who might be willing to help!" Wetsuit had a Viper by the back of his collar. The Viper was shaking, eyes large and freaked out.

"She's back, oh God, she's back, we're doomed, Doomed! I tell you!"

"Hey, you mind explaining what's wrong?"

"She came back . . . we thought she wouldn't . . . but she did." The man was quaking. "And she knows, she knows!"

"This guy is a little short of a full load." Blob blinked, "And that's me saying that." Marina just made a soft trilling noise, and hauled off and slapped the viper.

"Snap out of it, we'd like answers!"

"Huh, oh sorry . . . I went away for a minute . . ."

"Okay, now, what does Panthera know that's got you freaked out?"

"Panthera? You mean Four?"

"Yes."

"Uh, some of the others like . . . uh . . . abusing, er, the prisoners . . . I've never done it, cause it's wrong, but she can smell it on them even days after." He shuddered. "She always mutilates those before she kills them."

"Abuse? What kind of abuse?"

"Er, uh, er . . ." the Viper looked uncomfortable. Somewhere, a light went on in Lowlight's mind . . . and promptly proceeded to ignite his whole body. The Viper yelped. "Don't kill me!"

"Hold it there, Lowlight!" Duke looked at the viper. "What's your name?"

"F-fuh-fred." The viper squeaked out. "Fred 46."

"What do you think Panthera, Four, would go straight towards?"

"Probably to kill any scientist she could." Quicksilver muttered.

"Holding cages and cells, or wherever the test subjects are."

"That makes sense, if there are people she knows still here." Marina was satisfied. "The closest cells are which way?"

"That way . . . but the cells with the live specimens are a few floors below."

"You have cells holding _dead bodies_?"

"There were a few incidents with mutants coming back after being dead a few days." Fred 46 seemed to gain some backbone back as he spoke up. "So the cells hold the bodies until we're positive the mutants are dead, then a team disposes the bodies."

Silence greeted that remark.

"Lead the way. Leatherneck, you, Lifeline, Wavedancer, Blob and Dragonfly come with me. The rest of you, start spreading out and taking these snakes down."

They hadn't gone far when they found Long Range with a young woman, who he'd covered in a blanket. There were several guards down with bullet holes in their heads.

"Long Range?"

"Lifeline, need your help Hombre!" He gestured to the young woman. "Her wounds are infected." Lifeline knelt next to her. Lifting the blanket, Lifeline barely stifiled a yelp. "They did it so she wouldn't escape." The girl's legs had been severed.

"I'm starting to think Panthera has the right idea." Wavedancer muttered.

"I'll get her out of here." Wetsuit passed the Viper to Leatherneck. Once Lifeline cleared her to be moved, he and Marina left. They passed several other labs, all looking like they belonged in a horror movie.

"I'm going to have nightmares for years." Dragonfly gripped Blob's hand.

"Panthera already does." Leatherneck muttered. "And I can't blame her."

When they finally found Panthera, she was yanking cage doors off cages and helping those inside get out. Kamakura was helping her with that. Lifeline knelt next to the nearest victim, a young man with striped skin that seemed to be hyperventilating. Dragonfly also began working.

"Hey, I'm Lifeline, I'm here to help." The young man just whimpered and flinched back, and Panthera came over (Blob having taken over opening the cage doors.)

"It's okay Stripes, he's a good guy. Let him look at you." The young man just tried to hide behind Panthera. "Stripes, c'mon. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you, okay?" Holding Stripes' hand, she gently extended the claws on her other hand and put them against Lifeline's neck. "See? If he hurts you, I'll hurt him back, okay?" Stripes let Lifeline approach after that. After he relaxed a bit, Panthera moved her hand from Lifeline's neck to his shoulder.

"Did you really have to do that?" Lifeline finished up, and Panthera glanced over at him, then at Stripes who'd been helped up by Long Range.

"Yeah." Panthera gave a half smile. "But I knew I wouldn't have to actually hurt you."

At this point, most of the prisoners realized they were really being rescued, and were a bit more willing to let the Joes and Misfits help, some were crying and clinging to their rescuers. Panthera moved over to where Wavedancer and Duke had been.

"There's about twenty five of them." Panthera glanced at Duke.

"And all of them are traumatized." Wavedancer glanced at the group. "We can't take all of them to the Pit, it's too dangerous."

"Then where can they go?" Panthera looked at her. "They can't fit back into normal life, and a hospital . . ."

"I have a suggestion." Avalanche came over, holding two little children, a boy and a girl. They both had wool covering their bodies. "Actually, two suggestions."

* * *

"So, all the mutants expect for a couple went to the Eloi?" Hawk and Duke sat in Hawk's office, discussing the recent events.

"Yes, the others went to Muir Island to get de-toxed and what not, before they'll join the Eloi." Duke struggled to stretch out. "A couple of them were really attached to Panthera, but she convinced them to go."

"And Ewe's estatic that she's got two children to raise again." Roadblock and Leatherneck entered, Lifeline right behind. "But like Panthera, their DNA is all screwed up so we can't find them in the missing person's database . . . heck, some of them were homeless and abandoned when Cobra captured them."

"And what about Panthera? I hear she went berserk."

"No, not exactly . . ." Leatherneck sighed. "She didn't kill as many vipers as she could've, she was just focused on getting to the victims still there. She could smell them." He rubbed his sore arm. "I can't blame her."

"Neither can I, but she still has KP duty." Duke retorted. He gave a weak smile. "I think we can put to rest the idea of her being potentially evil, though. Violent, sure, evil, no."

"She still needs to have an appointment with Psyche-Out, he's finally pressing the issue." Lifeline sighed.

"Might take a bit, then, Snake Eyes wants to take her training for a bit, and aren't honeymoons suppose to last a week?" Leatherneck looked at Hawk. "Zarana and Mainframe have been gone awhile."

"They do, but I gave them two weeks." Hawk looked at his files, frowning.

"Sir, it's been a month."

"I know."

"Something Classified?"

"Perhaps." Which meant 'yes'. "Leatherneck, you work out a time and place Panthera will meet Psyche-out, and make sure she sticks to it. And make sure she knows she's still on KP duty."

"Yessir." Leatherneck nodded.


	37. Dangerously Loyal

**Panthera's thoughts after the lab . . . **

**Dangerously Loyal**

Dangerous, unstable, loose cannon, those are words that I keep hearing. And I use to agree. I was dangerous, I was unstable, I could go through an entire lab on my own and kill all those that got in my way.

But I can't do that anymore, even if my actions prove otherwise.

If I'm unstable, I couldn't make or keep a pack. If I'm a loose cannon, I'd have killed them already.

Killing is second nature to me, I can't remember a time when I haven't had a problem with that course of action. Killing ensures a threat to your pack remains eliminated. Killing makes sure that the monster can't come back to hurt others.

Long Range and Marina both follow my logic on this. They were brought up to neutralize threats quickly. Techno and Crash both understand, though they don't always agree about the efficiency of the way we neutralize threats.

Neutralize, a fancy way of saying killing without having to actually say it.

Thing is, it's easier to kill than to make a former enemy an ally. There's no chance of a backstab, no chance for that enemy to fool you and hurt the ones you protect.

But that's not how everyone else sees it. And maybe they have a point, too. Maybe I'm confused. I was in the closest thing to hell for a couple of years, where fights to the death happened and people were killed for not being ruthless enough. That would probably warp anyone.

I don't like thinking about it. I don't like remembering it, but it's hard to ignore the elephant that keeps walking behind me. Because I did go insane while I was there. I might have recovered enough to function, but there's always the possibility that it'll come back.

'Cause then I will be an unstable loose cannon that takes out those I care about. And if that happens, I won't be returning to sanity that go round. I'll be stuck for good. The Joes or Shield or someone else would probably lock me up or use me.

I don't want that. I like having my freedom, I like having a pack that will stay close to me because they want to, not because they have too. I like having friends, like Wavedancer, who can give me grief and a goal to get to. Not that I'll admit that I admire her as a semi-role model, but it's the closest I've ever been to someone that's a fellow alpha of a pack.

Without trying to actively kill them, on that note.

Not to mention there's the issue of Mizuryu, that Not-Althea I met back at the dam. It's a puzzle I'd like to figure out, though the main thing I'm curious about is does anyone else know. So far, no one seems to. I just know that one of the clues is the sword I have constantly strapped to my back.

It always warms up when I'm close to my friends, like it knows they're my friends a won't hurt them even if I lose control. I don't want to test that theory, but it's an idea that keeps popping up. I think the sword's actually alive in some way. Because I can hear it calling if I leave it somewhere, I can feel it when it's mad that I don't use it, like at the lab, and it practically hums when I do use it. Loyalty.

Another word that I guess does describe me. Despite how far I've gone, or where, I keep returning back to my pack. If I wasn't loyal, I wouldn't return. I wouldn't search out Leatherneck when I wanted to stay with the Joes and my pack instead of my adoptive family, I would have just run away, and solve the issue myself, somehow. If I wasn't loyal, I wouldn't sit here with a baby and let the toddlers play all over me with Jess and Junkyard, because no one else was watching the kids thanks to Quicksilver and Shipwreck's latest escapade.

I also wouldn't punch out the greenshirt that just threw a rock at the kids and called them freaks.

If I wasn't loyal, I wouldn't have hunted the world over for the Lab that I'd been trapped in the first time, just to get the handful of survivors out. I wouldn't have used every last resource to find it, either. After all I escaped, so who in their right mind would go back to their former hell and get others out?

Not that many, it's not something normal people would do. Not that many would succeed, either. Now I just have one more person to find. I just have to find Twelve and get him out, before it's too late for him. I don't know why I have to, it's just something that drives me.

I haven't thought about what I want to do with my life, other than keep hitting Cobra labs, keep making them pay for what they've done. I suppose I'll have to, once I get Twelve back. I also have to figure out what I have to do with Greg . . . I don't know if I'm going to be his mother or sister, because I'm always the one that keeps taking care of him and the only one he sleeps with.

Not a fun line of thought to try and figure out. It's like a large circle and I never get anywhere. I know there are some moms younger than me, but they're not all mutants that live for going to different countries and kicking butt.

Most girls my age are getting psyched for college, older boys and the latest fashions, not trying to juggle being a leader, a mother/sister and slight homicidal tendencies with trying to figure out where to go with life and school. I never even went to middle school, let alone high school, so not only does my team help tutor me, so do a couple of the misfits. Well, mainly Blob, since I can throw things at him in frustration and I won't hurt him.

I've mellowed some, since I let other people into my life, but I'm still dangerous. I still neutralize the threats to my pack as much as I can, but it doesn't always mean outright killing the threat. But I'm still loyal to the Joes, the Outcasts, and even the Misfits. It doesn't mean I'm not dangerous to them, but G.I. Joe is filled with dangerous people. (Particularly B.A., who's an even bigger threat than I am in the Joe hierarchy of things, and he doesn't get called unstable.)

I'm dangerous and I'm loyal.

It's just how I am.

Though now I have to explain to Duke and Flint why I broke a greenshirt's nose. I'm probably going to get more KP. And more whispers of being unstable behind my back.

But I know who I am, so I can ignore it. I'm loyal to a fault, perhaps a dangerous one.

Now if only everyone else would see that.

**There, I lost several chapters and half to go back to rewrite them, plus college started up and I'm going to be busy with that. **

**Anyway, see you next Chapter, where we should be back with the Xmen . . . I hope. **


	38. Make Your Own Decisions

**Hello Everyone! Anyone miss me? (ignores dirty looks and crickets) Well, for those that did, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long- I lost my outline for the entire story, and instead of trying to remember it, I took a long break instead (ducks old shoe) anyway, here's the next chapter, it's back with the X-men, and more plot! (with some chaos)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-men or X men: Evolution, G.I. Joe, or any other cartoon characters that get mentioned or comes up. The Misfits are the brainchild of one Redwitch, who was kind enough to let me take them for a spin. The Outcasts are mine though.**

**Make Your Own Decisions**

"Forge, what did you do to the Danger Room?" Scott was busy repairing a console.

"Nothing, I fixed her up without deviating from the schematics!" Forge retorted, insulted at the idea. "Maybe she needs an upgrade?"

" . . . Forge, why are you calling the danger room 'her'?"

"Habit, I like personalizing my machines. Some are clearly more masculine than others."

"And the Danger room is a she because?"

"Well . . . it comes from a conversation that might have happened with Wolverine and Beast while they might have been intoxicated and I might have been too . . ." Forge shifted as Scott looked at him, wanting him to hurry and get to the point. "Fine, I said 'The Danger Room is a bitch' and Wolverine replied 'Damn Straight, she is', and Beast was waxing poetical and said 'My friends, the Danger room is a noble and instructive lady that takes care of our students'." Forge saw both of Scott's eyebrows raise up. "And then, well, things got more out of hand and I might have made an unwise comment about you and Woverine loving the danger room more than your girlfriends . . . Beast might have corrected me and said Wolverine was more like the Danger Room's dad- he might not have corrected me about my possible comment about you and the danger room, though- and so I decided I would keep calling the Danger Room a 'she'."

"Forge, when I asked, I expected for there to be a simple answer like 'I thought it was a good idea at the time.'" Scott turned back to the computer. "I did not need to hear about the story behind it."

"Oh. Sorry."

* * *

Morlock Tunnels:

"At this rate you might as well become a Morlock, Shadowcat." Callisto greeted the X-woman.

"I'm tempted, but I enjoy visiting." Kitty smiled. "If I'm bothering you by visiting so often, I can stop-"

"No, I'm just teasing you. How are things up above?"

"Somewhat the same, well, for everyone else."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but I have the feeling there is something . . . like a shadow that won't leave me alone. It doesn't follow me here, though."

"Well, Caliban and a couple others went to help a mutant that he felt emerge. They'll be back soon, I should think. Tommi's baby is starting to get teeth, by the way." Shadowcat nodded, and the two went into the female 'lounge' of the morlock tunnels. A lizard like female that was lounging on an old mattress glanced up from her book, before glancing back down. "Zip, I thought you went with Caliban."

"No, that was Zap." Zip kept her gaze on her book. "Tommi and the rest went to the baths, the brat wouldn't stop crying."

"Thank you, Zip."

"Whatever." Zip was not the social twin. She tolerated her twin, Zap, but that was as far as she went.

The rest of the female Morlocks came back not long after, and Kitty spent about an hour and a half with them- up until they realized that the group with Caliban still hadn't returned.

* * *

X-Mansion

Scott sighed as he finished programming a new run, using the information they had about the twelve and Serpentor III. Panthera had explained later to him, when he had asked about setting up the run, that Ten, aka 'Trickster' liked to shift into a raven form, as the Raven was a trickster in North American mythology. He'd changed the topic when he saw her become uncomfortable. The only problem with the run was that he didn't know anything about Twelve, and so decided to leave him out altogether. He leaned back, and let the simulation run through- the goal being to 'rescue' Panthera (she'd given him a look that warned him not to program her virtual double out of character when he'd asked if that would be fine) and shut down a 'Doomsday Device' (uncreative, but he was tired and there were already a long list of names for such devices that he decided to just use it- he'd ask someone else for input on the matter later, when he wasn't tired) and then, and he thought this was a good idea to add- get back _out_ with hostage and team intact.

Scott sighed, and rubbed his eyes, not for the first time wishing that he didn't have to wear the glasses- he'd have liked to open his eyes and see the world in color without destroying something. The simulation ended, and he stared at the final part- naming it.

General Hawk and the Professor had begun talking about creating a 'Danger Room' for the Joes, Mainframe had talked to him and Forge at his wedding about the programming needed, but Scott had- in a fit of boredom and strange goodwill to the annoying group called accurately the 'Misfits', had created some programs that not only could the X-men use, but they could either work together with the Misfits (they'd done it often enough in real life that they probably should try and train together on occasion- would make it easier for them to be working together instead of wasting valuable seconds on the battle field discussing or suggesting ideas) or just the Misfits alone (Recently, he added a couple programs that the Outcasts could use). Generally, programs meant for the X-men had 'X' before the number or name, ones that X-men and Misfits could work together on (which included a couple 'fight-apocalypse' scenarios) had 'XM', Misfits alone were just 'M', Joes (why he had made the program for them in the first place, he had no idea) had 'J', and so the combination of Misfits and Joes was 'JM', and the few for the Outcasts had 'O'. Scott sighed, and gave a wry smile as he created a new file. _Rated 'E' for Everyone._ Minutes later, E-Rescue was saved to the long list of programs. "Well, that's all for now, Danger, I'll be back in the morning." He paused, realizing what he had said. "And now I'm acting like Forge, who treats half his inventions as if they were living. I have got to get a life." Some annoying voice, that sounded suspiciously like Avalanche, shouted _'Finally!'_ in the back of his mind. He ignored it.

"Everything okay, Scooter?" Scott blinked as he realized the elevator was already occupied by Logan- who had a six pack of beer in one hand. "It's almost midnight, you know."

"Yeah, fine, just finished doing some programming in the Danger Room."

"For us or for the Misfits?" Logan raised an eyebrow. Since the only two that actually took time to familiarize themselves with every single program were the two standing in the elevator (The only reason Rina was not counted was because Tabitha, Jubilee and Amara were dead set on making sure she got to experience some 'normal' teenage girl activities), Scott wasn't as surprised as he could have been that Wolverine knew about the other programs he'd added over time.

"Everyone. Unfortunately, that group of Twelve is going to be everyone's problem- might as well give everyone a chance to survive." Logan nodded. "Where are you going?"

"For a night ride, might meet up with Mar- I mean, Jinx, later."

" . . . Please tell me you haven't been stashing beer in the hangar again."

"The Professor won't let me keep it in my room or the kitchen- and you know full well he has his own stash in his office." Scott's reply was lost as the alarm suddenly went off. Logan swore as the elevator opened, and Scott ignored him in favor of switching his glasses for his visor. In the entry way was Kitty, holding onto Torpid's covered hand and holding a baby. "Kitty!" Logan and Scott rushed forward and caught her as she started to collapse.

"Morlocks- in danger- need help . . ." By this time everyone else had woken, some in uniform, others in night clothes.

"Nightcrawler!"

"Ja, I'm on it!" Kurt grabbed Rogue and Jean, and teleported away.

"X-men to the X-van, now!" Berserker followed the X-men, and no one commented- he'd stayed with the morlocks, and would know the tunnels much better than anyone else. "Storm, Beast, take Kitty and the kids to the infirmary!"

"Rina, you're in charge of security till I get back." Wolverine passed off Kitty to beast, as Storm coaxed Torpid along. Xavier, in his own pajamas, wheeled over to the elevator to go to Cerebro.

* * *

Morlock Tunnels:

"Mein Gott!" Kurt gasped, and Jean and Rogue found themselves supporting that supplication. It had taken Kurt three ports to get to the Underground Tunnels in habited by the Morlocks, and it was apparent that they were already too late- the body of one morlock looked like it had been torn apart.

"Search for survivors, hurry!" They split up, Jean found Callisto under a bunch of rubble, the one eyed mutant was a little groggy, but alive.

"Shadowcat got to you, alright, then?" Jean blinked at the rather cordial greeting (for Callisto).

"Yes, Torpid and the baby she brought are fine, too."

"Good . . ." Callisto glanced around. "Many are hurt, aren't they?"

"And some are dead, I'm afraid." Jean bit her lip. "I'm sorry- it's not pity, but loss of life is still something to be mourned, even if I didn't know any of them." She added when she saw Callisto's look. Callisto softened, but the expression turned to slight concern as Jean grabbed her head, realizing her mistake too late.

To search the tunnels, she had opened up her range as wide as possible, and connected to each consciousness, if only by the slightest brush of thought. She'd rushed, and hadn't put as many blocks up like she normally did, and when she had honestly expressed her grief to Callisto, one of her blocks had dropped; emotions of panic, pain and fear swamped her, and she felt one of the morlocks die. The sudden nothingness of what had once been a consciousness rocked her psyche, and she cried out collapsing to her knees, struggling to re-block her mind as several more blocks suddenly dissolved.

'_Jean, stop! Control yourself, don't panic!'_ The professor reached and quickly formed a set of blocks to help her regain control- but that was when a memory, long buried, surged forward as one more block suddenly broke.

"_Are you going to get better?" Ten year old Jean stared at the sickly girl on the hospital bed, "You've been here for months, why can't the doctors fix you?"_

"_I don't think they can fix it." The other girl whispered. "Mom's been crying a lot, when she thinks I can't hear."_

"_What do you mean? Why can't they fix it?"_

"_I dunno, but leukemia doesn't actually have a cure- some people get better, but others who have it really bad . . . don't." The other girl gripped Little Jean's hand. Things were silent except for the soft beeps of the machines around them, as both Little Jean and the other girl thought about what they'd only heard in stories. "Jean?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm glad you didn't leave me." The Other girl's eyes closed, and her breathing slowed- Little Jean got scared as her friend's hand suddenly relaxed._

"_No!" and for the first time ever, Little Jean felt her mutation activate, reaching for the mind of her friend. They connected, but Little Jean couldn't hold onto her friend, who gave her one last goodbye- and then suddenly Jean couldn't feel her anymore. Jean screamed as she came back to herself, nurses and both their parents entering. "Come back! Come back!"_

"_Jean, stop!" But she couldn't, and her power suddenly expanded, searching for her friend's mind, but getting over loaded by everyone else's instead. She was pulled from the room by her mother, who suddenly dropped her into someone's lap. "Watch her." Her mother went to comfort the family-_

Jean finally snapped out of the memory, realizing that her phoenix powers had manifested around her, and scrambled to put up blocks and barriers to get herself under control. Finally, she was able to breathe and focus once more. A gold visor with a ruby colored lense stared down at her.

"Jean, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, now." Jean sat up and rested her head on his shoulder, knowing she was going to need a lot of Tylenol in order to get to sleep. "What happened?"

"Well, we've gotten all the survivors together- Callisto's with Nightcrawler going over who's alive, dead or missing. Survivors are pretty good for the most part. Wolverine's with a Morlock called Synth, apparently the guy can take a mutant's power and temporarily give it to another, so long as he's in contact with both of them- contact breaks, they only have their own powers." Cyclops rubbed her back. "So we don't have to worry about getting them to the infirmary."

"Do we know who attacked them?"

"Unfortunately, no- We've shown them pictures of each group we're aware of, and they haven't identified a single one." A mutant with Downs syndrome walked over, slightly unsteadily. Jean couldn't tell if they were male or female, but they were also albino with pink eyes. Shakily, the mutant touched her head, and her headache vanished.

"Oh, thank you, that feels much better." Jean smiled, earning a timid smile in return. "I'm called Jean, what are you called?"

"Je?" the mutant managed, pointing at her.

"Yes, Jean." Jean pointed at herself, "You?" She pointed at the mutant, who smiled again.

"Numb!" The mutant pointed to his/herself.

"Numb's capable of relieving pain, though she cannot heal." Callisto and Kurt had returned. "Her parents didn't want to deal with her . . . disease, or the complications her being an albino, after a few years, so for a while they kept her hidden in the basement, and ignored everything but her basic needs. Digger found her on accident, and brought her with him." Callisto sighed.

"What's the verdict?"

"Caliban's missing, along with a couple others." Callisto crossed her arms. "A good portion are dead." _Including Tommi._ She glanced at the X-men, weighing her options. "We're going to be moving- these tunnels extend for miles, up and down the coast and across the country- even up to Canada. You won't be able to find us again."

"Are you sure? What if the ones that are missing come back?" Cyclops stood, and Callisto kept herself from snapping. She'd lived quite a long time, and had had most of her idealism either beaten out of her or forgotten. The X-men were surprisingly naïve, and seemed to stubbornly hold onto their optimism that humans and mutants could co-exist.

This young man in front of her was being groomed by Xavier to be a leader, and while Cyclops did have that ability and was capable, he was just a little too naïve, too sheltered, to take control without supervision from an experienced adult nearby. Though, Callisto's cynical mind thought, that was probably what Xavier wanted- a perfect toy soldier. She gave a small smile. She might as well teach him something.

"We're not fighters, Cyclops, and whoever attacked us wiped out half of our colony without a qualm. I would love to search for the ones we've lost, but my priority is the safety of those remaining. This place is known to our attackers, and is therefore no longer safe. Once we are safe, we can communicate with other groups of Morlocks. Caliban and the others are aware of this, and so will head to the nearest colony to find news. If they are injured and need assistance, they will seek out Shadowcat- and your team- for it before searching for us." Calisto sighed, and wrapped her arms around Numb to keep the shaky mutant from collapsing. "Torpid and the baby- Tommi named Shadowcat godmother to her child, so the baby should stay with her, now that her mother . . ." Callisto didn't finish. "And Torpid has shown an attachment to Shadowcat, and I won't separate them- I'm sure you can take care of both of them." Callisto watched as Synth finally finished healing the last Morlock, before turning her attention to Cyclops. "Is that acceptable to you, child?"

" . . . I understand, we'll take care of both of them. What about the dead?" Cyclops glanced down the tunnel, where just out of view an entrance to a cave that had been filled with the dead and their remains was.

"We'll collapse the cave before we go. It's the best we can do at this point- it won't affect the surface." Cyclops nodded.

"Then we'll head back to the Institute." Cyclops watched Nightcrawler take Rogue and Wolverine up to where the X van waited. "Be careful, Callisto."

"I've taken care of myself and others longer than you've been alive, Cyclops." Callisto gave him a look, a little annoyed at how he backed down for a moment.

"Point taken, Callisto, but I was actually thinking that you should be more careful than usual- especially while traveling." Cyclops barely managed to keep his temper in check. "Besides, it sounds much better than 'Good-bye'." Nightcrawler took out Iceman, Berserker and Jean as they continued to talk.

Callisto felt her mouth twitch, she was tired, while at the same time a little more keyed up than usual. The other Morlocks headed down towards the cave to pay their last respects to the dead.

"You might have a point, child." He nodded, and walked over to Nightcrawler. "Cyclops." He stopped and looked back. "Tell Shadowcat she did nothing wrong, and take care of yourself and your team. Things are always going to get worse before they get better." He nodded, and gave her a smile that made her want to wince- it was far too tired for her liking, especially for one so young. "And Cyclops . . ." She stopped him again. "Make your own mistakes, your own decisons, and try to experience more instead of believing that what Xavier tells you is true. You'll be a better leader for it, in the end." With that, she turned on her heels and walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nightcrawler looked at Cyclops, who watched her vanish down the tunnel.

"I don't know, but it's the same sort of thing Avalanche told me a while back when they were staying with us." Cyclops shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Nightcrawler."

"Alright."

In the Van, Jean drove and Cyclops slumped in the passenger seat, thinking. He'd tried to copy his father, to set up his own pattern that was similar to his. When the professor adopted him, helped him with his headaches and gave him the ability to see without destroying something, even if it was just shades of red, he had been more than willing to do anything for the professor- more than willing to obey- and he'd always had a good head for strategy, even Wolverine agreed to that.

It was a little strange to suddenly look at his life and realize that there wasn't that much to it. Avalanche was right, he was too easy to knock around. (He would never admit that to anyone, even under torture). Remembering his thoughts from the danger room, he felt a humorless smirk form on his face. He needed to get a life that was more than just training and listening to what the Professor said.

Which left him going through the few things he did that weren't based on pleasing someone else or matching their expectations. He liked cars, especially convertibles, and he liked working on them as well. He'd always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle, but had never found the time to ask. He liked Jean, and definitely loved her- but he didn't know if this was going to last- he'd 'dated' Taryn, but he'd been fixated on Jean since they met. Cyclops rubbed his eyes, as he ruefully wondered when would be a good time to take off and try to figure himself out, before realizing that he'd be pulling a Wolverine. What did he want, what did he want to do- who was he?

He pulled out of his thoughts long enough to check on Kitty, who was sleeping, and the two little girls that were now, technically, her wards, before he went upstairs to collapse on his bed.

He'd accepted routines because they had been something safe and familiar, accepted other's views because they felt comfortable or had to be right, because it was an adult telling him it was. But he was too old to be doing that, too old to be hiding behind others and letting their decisions dictate his life. He had to make his own decisions, had to build himself up so that he wouldn't get knocked down by everyone.

He had to leave, before he got stuck in the same place he'd been for years, and never grew up.

He sat got back up again, changing into jeans and a simple T shirt.

"Scott?" He froze, and glanced at Jean, who'd changed into a nightgown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing . . . just," Scott sighed, knowing better than to lie. "I need to leave the Institue."

"Why? It's our home, it's safe?" Jean sat on his bed, and he joined her.

"Too safe, and I've been here since I was fifteen, Jean- I haven't even left it to do anything other than school, missions, check on Alex or get tossed around dimensions." Scott pointed out. "There's no point in having a place to go back too, if I don't leave it once and a while. I'm adult, right?" He got up and grabbed an old gym bag.

"You have responsibilities here." Jean pointed out, watching him.

"I've had those responsibilities since I was a teenager- who in their right minds makes a kid the leader of a vigilante group?" Scott retorted, feeling the old frustrations and annoyances that he'd always pushed away surge again- this time, he let them stay. "Think about it, Jean- I haven't grown up from being a teenager, I've stayed in the same spot, letting others move around me."

"What about me?" Scott flinched as if struck. "Are you just going to leave me? We have a bond, Scott." Jean stood and faced him. For a moment, neither of them did anything, before Scott stopped packing, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I've loved you since I've met you, Jean." Scott felt a little sick. "You're all I've ever wanted- but I can't . . . I can't take you with me, this time." He admitted, and opened up his mind to her. "You've got your dreams and ambitions, you know exactly who you are and what you want to do. I don't have any of that." He pointed out, gently. "It's not like I'm going just to go check into a brothel or something, I just want the chance to get better and figure a few things out on my own, alright? I might flirt, might touch, but you're still the only girl I'm ever going to want to marry and spend forever with. I'm going to come back for you, even if it's just as a ghost and using Deadgirl to talk- just don't kill me if that does happen." Jean managed a smile.

"Promise?" He pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Promise. I'll come back, Jean, hopefully without too many issues."

The next morning, Jean came to breakfast with slightly red eyes, and Scott was gone, taking the beaten up but still drivable car that had been the learning car for the younger students of the institute- there was no reason to take his car, he was going to be coming back at some point.

* * *

**Phew, that took forever and a day. Nice long chapter though. About 9 pages. **

**Next up: The dangers of musicals, Shakespeare, impressionable children, B.A.'s coffee, and traveling with ninjas in jungles where one of your companions has ticked off a witch that lives there, and another once dated that aforementioned witch.**

"Wait, what?" Althea blinks. "How is that possible? It's just me, Panthera, Kamakura, Xi and- oh."

"Well, if Snake Eyes has had his, ah, current looks since the eighties, then that would just leave . . ." Panthera trails off as they stare at each other in surprise. "_Storm Shadow dated a witch?_"

"It was one drink and one night!" Storm Shadow corrects, coming on stage while playing with a throwing star. "And it wasn't like I knew what she was, either- Shut up, Snake Eyes." Snake Eyes just waves, cheerfully.

"Wait- ticked off- uh, remember a few chapters ago when I mentioned having that run in with a witch and man-eating tigers?" Panthera pales a little. "I'm going to have to deal with a lot of magic aren't I?"

**Why should I tell you? You lot went off on vacation!**

"It wasn't a vacation, it was an inter-dimensional rift. And it was Deadpool's fault!" Scott walks onstage, with Nick Fury.

**Oh, wait, how'd Deadpool do that, I thought he'd gone on a job? I thought he left to do a job. What's Fury doing here?**

"If driving everyone else crazy was the job, he did it." Fury mutters. "And I'm here to remind you you've got work to do- and try to find Deadpool."

"He's a little ticked since Deadpool managed to take over Mojo's dimension, kidnap everyone, and then fill Shield's headquarters with squids, greased naked mole rats and whipcream. On a side note, we found out where the whipcream Pietro ordered went." Scott adds.

**O-kay . . . I don't think I want to know anymore . . . **

**So please, leave a review and let me know what you think!**

"Yeah, maybe she'll stop making characters disappear and forgetting about them." Beachhead shouts from offstage.


End file.
